OK, so I took Zoë to see “Because of Winn Dixie” today. It was well-acted, and Zoë enjoyed it, but I found myself debating about whether it was really a good movie or if it was overly-engineered to be emotionally manipulative. I mean, I found myself being plucked by the heartstrings with a little too much regularity for it to feel spontaneos and genuine.

Of course, it’s a freakin’ kid’s movie.