A Street Cat Named Bob [DVD] [2016]

Absolutely brilliant film and true story

For feline fans and animal lovers this film is brilliant.

A STREET CAT NAMED BOB [2016 / 2017] Blu-ray + Digital Download] Sometimes It Takes Nine Lives To Save One! The Amazing True Story of One Man and His cat! Based On The Best International Best-Seller! Based on the true life story and international best-selling book, “A Street Cat Named Bob” and is a moving and uplifting film that will touch the heart of everyone. When London busker and recovering drug addict James Bowen finds injured ginger street cat Bob in his sheltered accommodation, he has no idea just how much his life is about to change. FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2017 National Film Awards, UK: Win: Best British Film for Adam Rolston (producer), Maria Nation (writer), Tim John (writer) and Shooting Script Films (production company). Cast: Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, Darren Evans, Tony Jayawardena, Adam Riches, Llewella Gideon, Lorraine Ashbourne, Akbar Kurtha, John Henshaw, Beth Goddard, Ivana Basic, Jessica Woodland, Mark Behan, Gary Hughes, Nina Wadia, Rosie Ede, Ruth Sheen, Caroline Goodall, Sasha Dickens, Cleopatra Dickens, Jacob James Beswick, Nadine Marshall, Gemma Nichols, Taylor Keegan, Rob Jarvis, Brian Doherty, Ben Deery, Jill Winternitz, George Turner, Hattie Ladbury, Daniel Fearn, Franc Ashman, Margot Edwards, James Bowen, Pearl Maburutse, Jozef Aoki (uncredited), Jill Buchanan (uncredited), Prince Dave (uncredited), Stephan Genovese (uncredited), Lee Nicholas Harris (uncredited), James Heron (uncredited), Kevin Hudson (uncredited), Kaveh Khatiri (uncredited), Rohan Mehra (uncredited), Shina Shihoko Nagai (uncredited), Sascha Panknin (uncredited), Lauren Patchcott (uncredited), Alice Pins (uncredited), Daniel Stisen Cache Thake (uncredited) and Chris Wilson (uncredited) Director: Roger Spottiswoode Producers: Adam Rolston, Alice de Sousa, Anders Erden, Brian O'Shea, Caroline Stern, Damian Jones, Howard Ball, James Scott, James Swarbrick, John Rakoff, Laura Davison, Lorraine Goodman, Nicolas Steil, Paul Brett, Spencer Pollard and Tim Smith Screenplay: Maria Nation, Tim John, Garry Jenkins (novel) and James Bowen (novel) Composer: David Hirschfelder Cinematography: Peter Wunstorf (Director of Photography) Image Resolution: 1080p Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 5.1 Audio Descriptive Service, Hungarian: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Russian [V.O.]: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Subtitles: English, English SDH, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Português [Brazilian], Português, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish [Castilian], Spanish [Latin American] and Turkish Running Time: 102 minutes Region: All Regions Number of discs: 1 Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Stage 6 / Prescience / The Exchange / Shooting Script Films Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘A STREET CAT NAMED BOB’ [2016] is based on the international best-selling book. This very magical film definitely gives you the true feeling of a good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, who had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat named Bob. It was actually based on a real true story set in London about a man, James Bowen, who while trying to change his homeless life around, and one day encounters a ginger cat in his flat and the two become very up close and personal buddies. But thanks to some great direction from Roger Spottiswoode, the cast, and feline, are in good hands. James Bowen [Luke Treadaway] is homeless and living on the streets of London. All he has with him is his guitar and the clothes on his back and he busks wherever and whenever he can. He is also a recovering drug addict, trying to stay clean while working on improving his life. With a little help from his support worker Val [Joanne Froggatt], she manages to secure a small bedsit for him, enough to keep him warm and dry, provided that he stays clean. Val informs him that if any of his random drug tests come back positive for narcotics, he’ll be out on the street again. In the earlier part of the film, we witness James Bowen living, sleeping and foraging for food on the streets of London, but when he finally gets his own place, you feel a great sense of relief for him especially, and when he settles into a hot bath, for the first time in years, only then do you realize that you are truly invested in the character of James Bowen. James Bowen makes friends with his neighbour Betty [Ruta Gedmintas], who just happens to work for the RSPCA and one night, awoken from sleep, James discovers a ginger cat in his living room. Thinking the feline probably belongs to a neighbour, he spends the next day trying to return the animal but with little success. Noticing injuries on the cat, he asks Belle to help him out and once back home, the two become inseparable. James Bowen names the cat Bob and accompanies James whenever he busks and crowds begin to form, wanting to get a glimpse of the musical duo. With a little cash coming in, James is tempted to go back on the drugs but not wanting to throw away what little he has built up, he tells Val he is ready to come off the Methadone, the drug which has replaced his heroin use and when she warns him that the withdrawal symptoms will be pure hell, he insists on moving forward anyway. Watching James Bowen undergo this process is both harrowing and heart-breaking but with Bob his cat by his side, he eventually makes it out of the dark. For a supposed family-friendly film, it certainly does not shy away from depicting life on the streets and drug use. The film walks a fine line between oversentimentality and unrelenting grimness every now and again, but for a film of this scenario, that is to be expected. It all ends with James Bowen getting a book deal and rekindling his relationship with his estranged father Nigel Bowen [Anthony Head] and if it weren’t for the fact that this all happened in real life, this feel good film would most certainly not be receiving the glowing reviews it has so earned. I might also point out that the cat used in the film, is the real-life Bob that still lives today with James Bowen in his new house. Through both the close-ups of Bob the street savvy cat, and the perspective through Bob’s eyes shots, you can’t help but begin to fall in love with this wonderful loveable cat, and as much as you root for James Bowen, you cheer Bob for his dedication and love for James Bowen. But all in all, that cat is too darn cute for words, and almost makes you want to get have a cat to own. Luke Treadaway plays the conflicted but determined James with great conviction and it is his sole performance that literally carries the film. Joanne Froggatt and Ruta Gedmintasare are both admirable in their respective roles but it is Luke Treadaway that shines here. If you’re curious about the real life James Bowen and Bob the Street Cat, you can look them up on YouTube. ‘A STREET CAT NAMED BOB’ is a wonderful joyous film, even if you are not a lover of cats. You certainly root for the characters in the film, especially you wanting James Bowen to get clean, and you feel grateful that Bob the cat came into someone’s life and made so much of a difference. It is easy to see why ‘A STREET CAT NAMED BOB,’ and James Bowen’s real life account on how a ginger moggy turned his life away from drugs and desperation, has made it to the screen and it offers a huge and potentially emotional characterisation and a social-media-friendly cat story, all wrapped up in a really upbeat tale of hope, unlikely friendships and redemption. The story explores James Bowen’s relationship with an animal activist neighbour Bettie, frosty encounters with his posh dad and his new-found friendship with an injured cat that does wonders for his busking. Here we have a very loveable joyous film with a heart in the right place, hope for the future and made you feel you have viewed something truly magical. As the credits appear on the screen, we get to view photos of the real busker James Bowen with his cat Bob in different locations in London, which I thought was a nice thing to view. A STREET CAT NAMED BOB MUSIC TRACK LIST BEAUTIFUL MONDAY [Performed by Luke Treadaway] SATELLITE MOMENTS (Light Up the Sky) (Written by Charlie Fink) [Performed by Luke Treadaway] SECOND TIME AROUND (Written by Charlie Fink) [Performed by Luke Treadaway] SOMEWHERE ON THE AVENUE (Life is Good) (Written by Charlie Fink) [Performed by Luke Treadaway] DON’T GIVE UP (Written by Charlie Fink) [Performed by Luke Treadaway] YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE (Written by Charlie Fink) [Performed by Luke Treadaway] ROLL OF THE DICE (Written by Charlie Fink) [Performed by Luke Treadaway] A STREET CAT NAMED BOB (Original Score) (Music Composed by David Hirschfelder) Blu-ray Image Quality – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings you once again something that offers you a steady, fairly sharp 1080p image presentation and an equally impressive 2.40:1 aspect ratio viewing experience. The overcast skies of London set the jungle environment atmosphere for much of the film’s 102 minutes. Close-ups have a very nice definition and also have very clean detail in strong clarity. The visuals are not flashy but certainly deliver a crisp impression of James Bowen’s world. Blu-ray Audio Quality – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings you this Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. The film is built around James Bowen’s frequent street singing, incorporated into a fairly discrete audio experience with ambient depth. This is strong sound design, capturing the bustling sounds of London. The dialogue aspect of the film is cleanly heard in the balanced mix and there is a decent spread of music across the front soundstage. Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Special Feature: A Street Cat Named Bob: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1] [33:13] Director Roger Spottiswoode, cast, crew and James Bowen talk about their experience of bringing the heart-warming tale to the big screen and how tried to show how they wanted to make the actor be as realistic as possible and all problems the real James Bowen survived on the streets of London. We get to see lots of behind-the-scene filming at different locations in London where the real James Bowen performed and also filming on the set at Twickenham Studios. We also see James Bowen interacting with Bob the cat and the actor Luke Treadway. Despite running just over 33 minutes, it sure packs in a lot of interesting features. Contributors include: Adam Rolston [Producer], Luke Treadway [James Bowen], Ruta Gedmintas [Betty], Roger Spottiswoode [Director], Joanne Froggatt [Val], Mark Ameg [Animal Trainer], Darren Evans [Baz], James Bowen [Busker], Ruth Sheen [Elsie], George Turner [Graham], Dawn and Mark Dumas [Principal Animal Trainers], Anthony Head [Nigel Bowen]. Sasha and Cleo Dickens [Faith and Pris]. Finally, ‘A STREET CAT NAMED BOB’ [2016] is film that is simply about a cat and his man does not have enough conflict or drama to sustain a narrative, and so we get some other characters and subplots thrown in. There is a budding romance with James Bowen's hippy vegetarian neighbour Betty, and the strained relationship with James Bowen's dad Nigel. But it is the relationship between James Bowen and his streetwise Bob that mostly sustains the film, and it is totally heart-warming to watch the bond that develops between the two of them. Luke Treadaway puts in a really solid performance, but of course he is often outshone by Bob the cat, who does play himself here, although he does have one or two doubles, and probably at times was busy taking a cat-nap. There are also a few scenes shot where director Roger Spottiswoode shoots from Bob the cat's point of view, especially when Bob is being chased by dogs, or Bob is chasing after a mouse in the house. Still, it is a really reflective and charming tale (tail?) of hope and redemption that has its heart in the right place and gives hope to other people that might be in the same situation as James Bowen. Highly Recommended! Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado Le Cinema Paradiso United Kingdom

Good film

A while back I read the book having been swept up in the publicity and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was as far as I could tell an honest book made clear by the fact that the author made no attempts to hide his own failings and his personal decent into drug use and living on the street. This film closely follows the book with a few changes to lighten it to make it more widely acceptable to an audience. Overall though the framework and story stayed close to the book and that's to the good. The overall feel of the film is generally light and deals with the issues of drug addiction with a light touch and sensitivity. It does not hide the worst effects but also shows that with luck and determination, some people can escape the hell. Well acted, and even the cat that played Bob - or cats more likely - hit his lines. Overall, a fundamentally warm film that is about self salvation with help from those who care.

The original true story is heart-warming, the daily struggles of a recovering addict, newly homed, who finds a stray cat (named Bob) and spends £22 out of the £30 he has to last the week on veterinary fees for his urgent treatment. I have read the first 2 books and enjoyed them. All credit to James Bowen for demonstrating that compassion is his ultimate ethic and in putting the life of a defenceless creature before his own he deserves the rewards of his later success. The film revisits the original book and Luke Treadaway plays the part of James exceptionally well but I felt that the story, moving as it is, just doesn't fill a full length film format all that well. it would fill a youtube short incredibly well. Also, sorry to say this, Betty, played by Ruta Gedmintas, with her Hollywood style platinum white teeth and looking like a Vogue model, seems unrealistic given her circumstances. I also feel that whilst it was obviously necessary to work hard at posing the various cats (including the original Bob) it showed, and the look-alike soft toy imitations of Bob used for some scenes were obvious. The original true story moves me still but somehow the film doesn't quite do it. There are some tremendous stories of cats that have done some incredible things including the one in America on youtube that saved the life of a young boy from a savage dog. My own cats have also displayed some quite amazing behaviour over the years, they respond well to kindness and compassion as James discovered. I'm giving the DVD the full 5 stars because James and Bob really deserve no less.

I’ve avoided this film for some time. I knew it was based on fact and I thought it might be a little schmaltzy. I was wrong. It really is an uplifting human interest story; one which depicts the horrors of addiction and homelessness with honesty and compassion, but remains focussed on the positives. Without a doubt Bob is a legend. He steals every scene and looks like he went to method acting school as he seems to fit exactly with every aspect. Whether it’s looking haughty, scared, mischievous, sad, sympathetic, loving...he has it all. I enjoyed the film and in these troubled times, it’s something that perhaps puts our good fortune into perspective. Highly recommended.

Si è rivelato un film più intenso del previsto. Tenero nel complesso. Lo consiglio di vederlo una domenica pomeriggio d'ozio.

I discovered "A Street Cat Named Bob" movie by accident. My mother and I watched it for the first time in 2019 - two years after this movie came out. We are SO glad we watched it! It is a feel-good movie about a cat with no home that helps a guy "survive". Bob gets a home and much needed love from James Bowen. If you are a cat lover, or pet lover in general, you must see this movie. (The second movie is titled "A Gift From Bob". Very worthwhile and a follow up to this movie.)

This is an amazing true story of a boy who only had money he earned as a street musician and was trying to get off drugs. One day a ginger cat appeared near his door which started a whole new relationship in his life. Now he felt responsible for this cat that followed him everywhere. Gradually his whole life changed for the better! If this was just a made-up story, it would be an amazing one. But this story is true! It will grab your heart and not let it go until you buy your copy of the DVD and/or the book! I bought both and now ordered both for a friend after showing her the DVD! :)

ミュージシャン志望の若者と猫との交流と言う ほのぼのとしたストーリーかなと思いましたが、 あまりにも過酷な現実には驚きました。 ロンドンはホームレスが溢れ，荒廃している感じさえしましたが、 もっと前なら、ミュージシャン志望の若者も、アルバイトをしながら 夜はライブハウスで演奏をしてチャンスを待っていると言う感じでしたが この映画では、冷たい人々，荒れ果てた社会、麻薬に救いを求めているミュージシャン志望の若者を 助けたのはボランティアの人々とボブと言う猫の存在なのですが、 動物と人間の触れ合いのドラマは多くありますが、 この映画では現代のロンドンだけでなく世界全体の冷たい荒廃した人間社会を 象徴している感じがします。 英国がどうしてEUを脱退すると言う背景もありますが、 このドラマがどうして世界の人々に感動を与えたのかわかるような気がします。 ボブと言う猫との出会いにより人生が変ったミュージシャン志望の若者の話ですが、 辛いことの方が多く、ボブとの絆が深くなるのは、お互いに傷がついたときですね。 特に、麻薬の禁断症状で苦しむところは圧巻でした。 この映画のテーマは麻薬問題もあると思いますが、 その根本には移民問題、簡単に移民が入ってくるEUと言うシステムの問題点も 忘れてはいけないですね。 最初の場面でロンドンの路上生活者の様子が多く出てきますが その後移民の横道な様子も描かれていますが この映画では今の複雑なイギリスの状況も描きたかったのだと思いました。 移民らしき人間がドラッグの売買をしている様子などぞっとしますね。 日本版も出るので是非購入したいです。

perfect story better than film!!! it came in yesterday. I read it completely, and it is fine english language. Its a nice book story!!! I like to read it again.