A Street Cat Named Bob

Predictable and clichè, but still very heartwarming and satisfying, especially knowing that it’s based on a true story. Luke Treadaway plays the sympathetic character very well and I found it really refreshing to see him actually playing guitar and singing for real. It makes it much more grounded and raw, something this story really needed. Bob the Cat, who stars as himself and is also the actual, real cat from the story on which the film is based, is freaking adorable and incredibly talented. This movie could have easily gotten into wonky CGI-animal territory, but it steers clear, again giving the whole thing a sense of realism. That all said, this movie really romanticizes and idealizes the struggles of homelessness, addiction, and poverty. Strangers are assholes when the plot needs them to be and they’re warm and kind when the plot needs them to be. James is written as a diamond in the rough – a true down-on-his-luck underdog who really tries but life just keeps beating him. That’s nice, but it ignores so many aspects of what can contribute to people ending up in these situations. My take is that, given that this is based on an autobiographical book, it’s very easy to write yourself as the hero. It’s a lot harder to write yourself as a flawed, nuanced character. So it’s understandable but an area for improvement.

Good movie. Very kind

Heartwarming story of love and redemption

While it does follow some of the expected narrative beats (yes, based on a true story but still...), A Street Cat Named Bob is nevertheless a heartwarming biopic that does a good job dramatising real events allowing for a compelling non-fiction story about recovery that doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of drug addiction (a scene in the climax where the main human protagonist goes through a harrowing week's worth of withdrawal symptoms is surprisingly tense) but is otherwise quite wholesome. And that's thanks to the adorable feline co-star at its centre, played by the genuine article (hey, it worked for Dolphin Tale). Sad to hear that he passed away during the early months of the pandemic. At least his life has now been immortalised on film...twice. But that film is a story for another day or, should I say, another month, at the time of writing this review.

Beautifully filmed and acted. Bob the Cat is a natural, and the movie is great.

Fantastic surprise of a film. Well deserving of its awards. I didn't read the book, but I found this honest and engaging. If Hollywood had done this, they would have ruined it by making the cat more "magic" or some such. As it happens, life itself is magic enough when people get a second chance to make things right.

A solid performance from Luke Treadaway and the overall emotional impact the film deliveres allows A Street Cat Named Bob's inspiring fact-based origins to shine even though its side characters are stale and its romance a bit heavy-handed.

The story is both sad and uplifting at the same time and I very much enjoyed the music played by the main character when he was busking. I found this an easy and mostly enjoyable watch. This film isn't suitable for viewing by particularly young kids due inevitably to the drug use theme, hence why it has a 12 rating in the UK. I liked it for the depiction of compassion shown by those who come across Bob. Its a good film to watch if your keen on pet based films I'd say and there are some amusing moments due to how the cat reacts to situations (although I'd say its primarily a drama but it does have some comedy at times), so yes, I'd recommend it.

I really liked this one

Eine herrlich schöne erzählte Geschichte, die auf eine wahre Erzählung basiert. Lob den zwei Hauptdarstellern, zumal die Kratze Bob zuerst. Als zweites Luke Treadaway als James. Ich finde der Film ist absolut sehenswert.