Stars: Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruta Gedmintas
Storyline
Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.
Writers: James Bowen, Garry Jenkins, Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruta Gedmintas, Bob the Cat, Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, Beth Goddard, Darren Evans, Caroline Goodall, Ruth Sheen, Nina Wadia, Franc Ashman, Ivana Basic, Lorraine Ashbourne, Mark Behan, Daniel Fearn, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Bob the Cat -
Street Cat Bob
(as Bob)
Luke Treadaway -
James Bowen
Ruta Gedmintas -
Belle
Joanne Froggatt -
Val
Anthony Head -
Nigel Bowen
Beth Goddard -
Hilary
Darren Evans -
Baz
Caroline Goodall -
Mary
Ruth Sheen -
Elsie
Nina Wadia -
Padma
Franc Ashman -
Danielle
Ivana Basic -
Carefoot Receptionist
Lorraine Ashbourne -
Simone
Mark Behan -
The Drug Dealer
Daniel Fearn -
Dog Owner
Taglines:
Sometimes it takes nine lives to save one
Country: UK
Language: English
Release Date: 3 Jan 2016
Filming Locations: London, England, UK
Box Office Details
Budget: $8,000,000
(estimated)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
They cast multiple cats to play Bob but in the end, Bob played himself for most of the film. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 7/10
This film offers almost exactly what you would expect it to and there's
nothing wrong with that. We've seen better movies about the trials of
homelessness, the tortures involved in getting clean from heroin,
especially the latter when it's worth remembering this is a 12A
certificate and so the horrors experienced by the main character can't
be quite as lurid, nightmarish and unsettling as those depicted in
TRAINSPOTTING.
Otherwise, this adaptation of James Bowen's autobiography, his account
of how he was saved by the unlikely companionship of Bob, is pretty
likable stuff. Luke Treadaway's performance is perfectly fine; his
depiction of a drug user who's lost everything and is living rough
comes across as credible enough. If there's a sense of fantasy about
the effect Bob has on his fortunes - Londoners react to Bob as though
they've never seen a cat before - then you just have to go with it to
an extent. The film makes it clear that Bob personifies James's
salvation, and it was a lovely detail to discover one of the feline
actors playing the cat was none other than Bob himself.
Anthony Head doesn't need to do much to play James's estranged father,
but he handles the emotional turmoil hidden beneath the character's
austere exterior really well. Joanne Froggatt and THE STRAIN's Ruta
Gedmintas are memorable as James's doctor and distant love interest
respectively. The latter is a bit too obviously 'hippy chick' but she
just about gets away with it, and I respected that the romantic
undertones of her story line climaxed in a bittersweet, realistic way.
For me, this is up there with EDDIE THE EAGLE as a title that won't win
any awards and will never slay the box office, but it made me feel
better for having seen it. I'm looking forward to reading Bowen's book
now. And I once knew a cat called Bob - a more affectionate and
avuncular friend I don't think I've ever had.
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