A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I have to premise that I am strongly convinced that animals are just animals. I feel annoyed by people who say "Animals are better than humans: they don't betray you " and bulls**t like this.Thus I hated people who ignored James without the cat and are kind and generous with the cat. Just like I hate cat and/or dog videos on social media. In my country, in Italy, there are more pets than babies, and I'll be happy with our extintion as a species because we deserve it.On the other side there is the story of redemption of James who finds an aim through the cat who becomes his project. I am happy with this, but is it not a kind of sad to think that no human being, not even his own father, has helped him to recover?One moment: a decent person in this movie does exist and is Val, the social worker. She is the actual heroine (no pun intended).Social workers are at very high risk of burning out because they usually cannot see very much good results of their (hard) work. I sincerely admired the character of Val. She believed in James and gave him a home and advices and after all James success was also her success.I did not find the movie so embroidered as other reviewers have said before me. The story is quite harsh and it is harshly told. Think at the sequence when he suffers for the methadone suspension! It was like Hell on Earth, and it was great that James succeded in healing. Not easy, and it was finely descripted.Acting was fine as Luke Treadaway did not push too strongly on the pleased compassion key. Directing was also fine and tones were not unbalanced even in the most dramatic moments, like the death of his mate.To me one of the toughest scene was when the lady wanted to BUY the cat and James told her if she wanted to sell her child. The lady was convinced that the cat had the right to have a home, her home, giving for granted that James was not a decent owner.Also when James says he was called "sir" for the first time AFTER he got the cat. The portrait of human misery in my opinion. If one gives a s**t about junkies, then he should care even less about a man with a cat!

James (Luke Treadaway) is a homeless addict busking on the streets of London. He is estranged from his father Jack Bowen who has a young family. After his OD, overworked social worker Val takes a chance on him and sets him up in temporary housing in a rundown apartment block. He finds a cat in his new home and names him Bob. He is befriended by animal lover Betty. Bob becomes his constant companion and his savior.It's all straight forward and heart-warming. It's not pushing that hard. The drug issue is handled gently despite the death. The cat is cute enough although I can do without the cat's POV. The only thing missing is a great catchy song. The busking songs are fine but nothing exceptional. The performances are solid. This is gentle heart-felt movie that hits the right notes.

Many IMDb users have already given their reviews of what to expect, so I'm here to give my own opinion on this film, and it's a mixed one. Simply put, this film gives an unrealistic view of what it is like to get off of heroin and put your life back together. If even one in ten addicts' recovery stories were this successful, then a quarter of my friends wouldn't be dead.Let me put it this way: "A Street Cat Named Bob" might be a wonderful feel-good film for the masses to enjoy, but it's a movie. They tell you this film is based on a true story and I of course believe that, but I'd wager all of my money that the REAL James Bowen had A LOT TOUGHER of a time getting his life straightened-out than this movie depicts. It's not a bad film, but I fail to see the point of telling a true story when you've covered it in sugar. I'll give it half a score—a 5 out of 10—for telling HALF of the story.

The movie is about second chances more than anything else, and if it takes a feline companion to pull one's self out of the gutter, than more power to the cat, I guess. I didn't know anything about this film but was immediately drawn to the title because of it's novelty, and it was a worthwhile viewing, though definitely not a cinematic masterpiece. I never heard the term 'busking' before so there was a little bit of British street education in there thrown into the mix. The thing that bothered me throughout the whole story, and it's probably being picky, but when James (Luke Treadway) started getting on his feet and making some money, he could have helped himself out by getting a razor and cleaning up a bit. It might have helped him some during those encounters with the police and other authorities. Overall not a bad little film with some poignant things to say about folks dealing with drug addiction and trying to get clean. Particularly interesting to me was when James expressed his admiration for Bob because he got a man to call him 'Sir'. Occurring near the end of the story, that moment made it worthwhile to hang around and see James make something of himself.