Man’s best friend is a cat in purr-fect film
In Roger Spottiswoode’s life-affirming drama, a stray ginger tabby cat becomes a guardian angel for a homeless street performer, who is struggling to escape the choking grasp of addiction on the streets of London.
This connection between a broken man and mischievous beast ultimately inspired the busker James Bowen to pen a book, which became an international bestseller and turned his fourlegged friend into a minor celebrity.
The film version of A Street Cat Named Bob largely eschews sentimentality to chart Bowen’s journey from hopelessness to hardfought self-redemption, interspersed with comical vignettes from Bob’s perspective including a running battle with a mouse that lives in the walls of his master’s flat.
James (Luke Treadaway) sleeps rough like his friend Baz (Darren Evans) and earns a few precious coins each day by playing his guitar.
Every week he visits support worker Val, Whitby’s Joanne Froggatt, who oversees the methadone programme that is the first step towards defeating his heroin addiction.
Val manages to secure James a flat to aid his recovery and the busker quickly makes two new friends: a free-spirited neighbour called Belle (Ruta Gedmintas) and a stray cat, which he christens Bob.
Bob the cat is a natural on camera and looks natty in colourful knitted scarves.
Leaves you feline fine.