A Gift From Bob Film

 

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

 James Bowen was an addict in the streets of London, busking and selling copies of The Big Issue, a paper which helps those who are down and out earn money to support themselves as a way out of poverty.  James was barely scraping by when he encountered an injured orange cat.  He took the cat to a charity vet for medical attention, spending the last of his money to do so.  When he recovered, the cat—now called Bob—attached himself to James and went out with him to the streets every day.  James credits Bob with giving him the incentive to get clean.

Publicity about the unlikely duo attracted a book publisher and soon A Street Cat Named Bob appeared and was a best seller.  That book was followed by others, including A Gift from Bob, The World According to Bob, and The Little Book of Bob.

The Cinderella story continued with a movie starring Luke Treadaway as James in A Street Cat Named Bob which included some scenes with the real Bob.  

Now we have a sequel film, A Gift from Bob, which arrived just in time for your holiday viewing pleasure.  When the film opens, we see James enjoying the benefits of his new status as author but a chance encounter with a street performer being harassed causes James to remember his last Christmas on the streets.  Out of money to pay his bills, he is struggling and not at all interested in the seasonal spirit. His friend Bea tries to bring some holiday cheer in the form of a Christmas tree to be decorated with notes of what to be thankful for, but James isn’t in the mood.

Things only get worse when someone reports him as being unfit to keep Bob, causing the local animal services to launch an investigation. Even Bea loses the spirit when the charity she work for is burgled, and all the gifts and food stolen.

As with almost any holiday film, the outcome can be guessed but the happiness is in the journey.  It’s a sweet, feel good film with some lovely performances.  Bob the cat—yes, the real Bob—appears in the film quite a bit with just a few “stunt cats” filling in at times.

Sadly, some months after the film was completed, Bob passed away.  The movie is dedicated to his memory.

The library owns copies of both movies and the books.  Reviews of the books have appeared at the Bookblog here and here.

If you’re looking for a new Christmas film to brighten the holidays, give A Gift from Bob a try!

Reviews of the books are here:

A Street Cat Named Bob

The World According to Bob 

A Gift From Bob