Dinky's adoptive mother Rochelle is disappointed that her daughter has no interest in "feminine" things, such as makeup and nice clothing.

Dinky enjoys thumbing her nose at her peers and embarrasses Gerald, a cute popular boy, by reading a condescending love poem to him in class.

Dinky's questions about Roxy prompt Denton to become obsessed with revisiting his romance, causing him to become more short-tempered and dismissive of his family.

Meanwhile, Rochelle tears up the boarding school brochures while Denton burns his Roxy memorabilia, hinting at a possible reconciliation with his wife.

[4] One of the most outspoken detractors of the film was Variety, whose comments about it were that "fans of Winona Ryder will definitely want to catch her in an offbeat role as the town rebel in this teen-oriented small-town saga; unfortunately, the rest of the production doesn't quite match up.

"[5] Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars in his original review, and said that "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael" contains one small treasure: a perceptive and particular performance by Winona Ryder in the role of a high school outcast", and that "her work is surrounded by a screenplay so flat-footed that much of our time is spent waiting impatiently for foregone conclusions.

"[6] Thomas Newman composed the original score for the film, which was released on cassette and compact disc by Varèse Sarabande.