Rent A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)
3.7 of 5 from 399 ratings
1h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Based on the true life story and international best-selling book, 'A Street Cat Named Bob' is a moving and uplifting film that will touch the heart of everyone. When London busker and recovering drug addict James Bowen (Luke Treadaway) finds injured ginger street cat Bob in his sheltered accommodation, he has no idea just how much his life is about to change.
- Actors:
- Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, Beth Goddard, Darren Evans, Caroline Goodall, Ruth Sheen, Nina Wadia, Frances Ashman, Ivana Basic, Lorraine Ashbourne, Mark Behan, Daniel Fearn, Adam Riches, Nadine Marshall, John Henshaw, Alan Audrain, Tim Baros
- Directors:
- Roger Spottiswoode
- Producers:
- Adam Rolston
- Writers:
- James Bowen, Garry Jenkins, Tim John, Maria Nation
- Studio:
- Sony
- Genres:
- Comedy, Drama
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/02/2017
- Run Time:
- 103 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1, Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, English, English Hard of Hearing, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Behind the Scenes Featurette (30 mins): Director Roger Spottiswoode, cast, crew and James Bowen talk about their experience of bringing the heartwarming tale to the big screen
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Reviews (8) of A Street Cat Named Bob
Shows it can be done, with help. - A Street Cat Named Bob review by NC
Had to give it a 4, just to spite the never ending junk coming out of the US. Often with so called big names, earning big bucks, for swearing and hitting folks...or shooting, as appears to be the main hobby over there.
Amazing to see that there IS actually a system in place that can help those that can take it on. Film does show the devastating affect that drugs can make on society, and individuals/families.
Simple film with simple story. Alas the guy here is a very small minority of those that can make it out of the vortex of the street, and hats off to people that constantly try to help them. It must be like standing against the tide for sure...........
5 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
Animal lovers will love this - A Street Cat Named Bob review by PT
Do animals come into our lives to help us? Of course there are many who would say absolute nonsense. I on the other hand think animals have a much deeper understanding and relationship with their human guardians.
Luke Treadway plays a heroin addict who is on a methadone programme trying to beat the habit. Of course this is easier said than done given the terrible hardships of living on the street, resulting in him falling of the wagon. His social worker sees something positive in him and despite this setback finds him a small apartment.
Settling into his new abode he's confronted with a stray cat. From here on in his life changes. There are still plenty of hardships to face but his love for the feline Bob in his new strength in the fight for a better life.
Very enjoyable and touching true story.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Entertaining film about a wonderful cat and his recovering pet human...MIAOWS + HEADBONKS! - A Street Cat Named Bob review by PV
Good things about this film:
1) the inspiring true story of James Bowen (a man from a well-off family who, for various reasons and none, became a drug addict on the streets BUT THEN made the 'up the hill backwards' journey back to being drug-free) after meeting a lost, homeless cat - the symbiotic relationship here, the way their stories mirror each other, is nothing short of perfect - for story anyway.
2) the film is very well cast with Luke Treadaway perfect in the lead role - in fact, if this were a Hollywood movie and esp if Luke T were black, he's be a shoo-in for the Oscar! The fellow junkie Baz is also well-cast with Welsh actor Darren Evans (also to be seen in the soon-to-be-released film CHARIOT;
3) it is genuinely funny in places and touching, though some parts are NOT how they happened in real life (James met Bob outside on the estate, for example.
4) The way the film really does show how utterly awful the menace of drugs is, as is the desperate homelessness it causes where people - esp the kebab seller - are unimaginably cruel;
5) Bob the Street Cat himself - a cat who has obviously been raised on the street so who is not phased by traffic, people etc. It's the best cat story I have read other than A CAT CALLED DOG by Jem Vanston.
Bad things about this film:
1) It exaggerate the role of James' kooky female neighbour, I suppose because the screenwriters and directors wanted a love interest - I found this irritating and boring;
2) the sometimes cartoony feel of scenes, like the mouse emerging for a cartoon mousehole in James' flat's skirting board - are these scenes really needed?
3) Sometimes one feels the scriptwriter has piled up the obstacles - as all screenplay books says one must - to make James' challenge even greats BUT is there any need to make things up in a story like this?
4) the agent saw James outside Covent Garden and signed him for a book - she did not see it online.
5) AND it is worth remembering that the publishers have milked this dry, and made most of the money from 5 million sales - James Bowen himself will have received the tiniest fraction of profits from that (but as sales have been so huge he's still lucked out and could buy a house in London which most people cannot afford).
So, in general, a good film from what has become a publishing phenomenon - which has unfortunately spawned a huge industry of what I call "pity party cat books" where a cat (sometimes real; sometimes reincarnated) appears and saves someone or a family from: homelessness, illness, autism, library closure etc etc etc. I am so sick of these books now.
But 4 stars. A flawed film but also enjoyable to watch, esp for a cat lover like me! Go Bob!
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
A Street Cat Named Bob review by Adrijan Arsovski - Cinema Paradiso
A Street Cat Named Bob is a heartwarming true story about a guy named James and his cat Bob trying to survive amidst the urban jungle that is London. And let’s be honest here: whatever scene was is – Bob stole the show completely. Although during filming several other cats were used, Bob is the preferred tomcat by a large stretch of a margin. To sum it up: A Street Cat Named Bob comes off as an upbeat drama feature that will move you to tears.
Firs off: A Street Cat Named Bob doesn’t nurture any bigger-than-life conflict(s), nor does something from such proportions would hold true to the films form. Instead, it mostly plays like a feel-good story that a certain bard is reciting around a campfire in order to kill time. The story just happens to be a good one. And for being James Bowen's autobiography, A Street Cat Named Bob hits home on several occasions worthwhile for someone’s time.
The film follows James Bowen, who is a homeless bloke that struggles with drugs, mostly heroin. He and his father Jack Bowen (played by Anthony Head) were then surviving a quarrel that was leaving both of them emotionally devastated. Deep down however, none of what they said and did toward each other was given so much rational thought – so it was only logically that they went their own separate ways.
After which, James became homeless and reached for drugs to find his only solace in life. But, as things in life were growing darker for James in tone, so did a time for a second chance was nearing toward his aura.
Then, out of nowhere, came along Bob– a stray cat whose sheer presence made James feel as if luck has finally struck a chord with his destiny’s strings. As to how and why Bob choose James – to this day remains a mystery even to his owner. But, it seems Bob enjoys the company of James, and together they make the unlikable duo that both Londoners and tourists seem to adore.
One caveat I would mention is James’ added love interest that is just there to provide a counterpoint to the suffering he has been through life. As Luke Treadaway (the actor who portrays James Bowen) sings his way into fame and novelty, Betty (Ruta Gedmintas) starts showing interest in an ordeal that mostly feels forced, if anything. Again, who needs a gorgeous female companion when you have the best looking feline companion? Heh heh.. No? Ok.
Case in point, A Street Cat Named Bob written by James Bowen himself (screenplay credit goes to Tim John and Maria Nation) and directed by Roger Spottiswoode is a sure contender for a guaranteed place in your heart, no matter how cruel or crude your personality may have been beforehand.