In “Because of Winn-Dixie,” musician Dave Matthews plays a reticent pet shop clerk who gets to strum a little guitar now and then. The man and his music are a perfect fit for the movie, based on Kate DiCamillo’s best-selling children’s novel: unpretentious, sweet and melancholy, full to bursting with overwhelming sadness and unabashed joy all at once.

Winn-Dixie is a dog – a big, furry, stinky one. He’s rescued from a riotous scene at the local supermarket by Opal, a 10-year-old girl who’s just moved to the small, washed-up town of Naomi, Fla., with her single dad (Jeff Daniels) whom she calls “The Preacher.” Opal has just resigned herself to a long, lonesome summer, and the troublemaking but endearing mutt provides her with something like a friend.

But the story has heart that goes deeper than your run-of-the-mill Disneyesque tale. Winn-Dixie is gregarious to a fault, leading Opal through picket fences and down overgrown lanes to meet some very interesting characters, including a spinster librarian played by 1940s siren Eva Marie Saint and an eccentric blind woman the local kids call a witch, played by Cicely Tyson.

Through the benefit of Winn-Dixie’s impromptu introductions, Opal gets to know these characters and discovers that everyone’s life contains some sadness and some joy. Opal’s own sadness comes from missing her mother, who inexplicably left Opal and her father several years earlier. She finds her own joy by bringing her new friends together so they can share the ups and downs in their lives instead of going through life alone.

In her major feature film debut, Annasophia Robb does a decent job as Opal, a central character whose own troubles don’t overshadow her precocious personality and polite manners.

Director Wayne Wang’s former projects ranged from the fluffy Hollywood “Maid in Manhattan” to the more sensitive and critically acclaimed “The Joy Luck Club” to the independent project “Smoke” and several films out of his native Hong Kong. Wisely, he allows the screen giants of Tyson and Saint to do their thing – and they do it very well. But Wang apparently left Robb and the other child actors without much direction either. They’re often stiff and stereotyped, and don’t seem to act like real kids unless the dog is stealing the scene for them.

As the story unfolds, Winn-Dixie figures as less and less of a central character, letting Opal direct her own newfound friendships. The wacky slapstick tones down accordingly, spoiled only by the appearance of Harland Williams as a mean-spirited cop whose only mission seems to be to ruin everyone’s day. While young viewers will no doubt guffaw at Winn-Dixie’s pantsing of the police officer, adults may bristle at Williams’ out-of-place overacting – until they realize he’s probably ad-libbing every line. Then he’s funny.

Throughout the movie, a soundtrack by the likes of Norah Jones and Shawn Colvin keep the tone soft and simple. Like every one of its characters, “Because of Winn-Dixie” has its flaws – but like its message, it’s a movie that’s best when shared with a friend.

“Because of Winn-Dixie”

Rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language

Starring: Annasophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, Dave Matthews

Directed by: Wayne Wang

Length: One hour 46 minutes

Now playing at: Astoria Gateway Cinemas, Cannes Cinema Center in Seaside, Neptune Theatre in Long Beach, Wash.

Short take: A lonely young girl in a new town finds a stray dog who helps her meet and bring together a handful of eccentric characters. While not perfect, the film fulfills its theme of sharing sadness and joy.

Rating: Three stars (out of four)