A Street Cat Named Bob

***A Street Cat Named Bob*** is a 2016 British biographical drama film directed by Roger Spottiswoode and written by Tim John and Maria Nation. It is based on the book of the same name and *The World According to Bob* by James Bowen. The film stars Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head, and Bob the Cat as himself. The film premiered in London on November 3, 2016, followed by a general release the next day. The title is a spoof of A Streetcar Named Desire.

The film won Best British Film at the UK National Film Awards on March 29, 2017.

A Christmas-themed sequel, *A Christmas Gift from Bob*, was released in UK cinemas on November 6, 2020. The film was released posthumously, as Bob the Cat died in June 2020 after sustaining critical injuries from a running car.

## Storyline

### Plot

Based on the international best-selling book. The true story of how James Brown, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.

### Genres

* Biography
* Drama
* Family

### Motion Picture Rating

* **13** (Argentina)
* **PG** (Australia)
* **12** (Austria)
* **12** (Brazil)
* **G** (Canada)
* **11** (Denmark)
* **K-12** (Finland)
* **12** (Germany)
* **IIA** (Hong Kong)
* **12A** (Ireland) (theatrical rating)
* **12** (Ireland) (video rating)
* **T** (Italy)
* **G** (Japan)
* **9** (Netherlands)
* **PG** (New Zealand)
* **9** (Norway)
* **15** (Poland)
* **PG13** (South Korea)
* **12** (South Korea)
* **15** (Sweden)
* **PG-12** (Taiwan)
* **12A** (UK) (theatrical rating)
* **12** (UK) (video rating)

## Images

UK DVD coverUK Blu-Ray coverUSA DVD coverUSA Blu-Ray cover
## Cast and Crew

### Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)

* James Bowen (novel)
* Garry Jenkins (novel)
* Tim John
* Maria Nation

### Cast

* Luke Treadaway - James Bowen
* Bob the Cat - Self
* Ruta Gedmintas - Betty
* Joanne Froggatt - Val
* Anthony Head - Jack Bowen
* Beth Goddard - Hilary
* Caroline Goodall - Mary
* Darren Evans - Baz
* Ruth Sheen - Elsie
* Nina Wadia - Bus Conductress
* James Bowen - Self

### Producers

* Howard Ball (executive producer)
* Paul Brett (executive producer)
* Laura Davison (executive producer)
* Alice de Sousa (executive producer)
* Anders Erden (executive producer)
* Lorraine Goodman (line producer)
* Damian Jones (executive producer)
* Brian O'Shea (executive producer)
* Spencer Pollard (executive producer)
* John Rakoff (executive producer)
* Adam Rolston (producer)
* James Scott (executive producer)
* Tim Smith (executive producer)
* Nicolas Steil (executive producer)
* Caroline Stern (executive producer)
* James Swarbrick (executive producer)

## Details

### Release Dates

* November 3, 2016 (United Arab Emirates)
* November 3, 2016 (UK) (London) (premiere)
* November 3, 2016 (Jordan)
* November 3, 2016 (Kuwait)
* November 3, 2016 (Lebanon)
* November 3, 2016 (Oman)
* November 4, 2016 (UK)
* November 4, 2016 (Ireland)
* November 9, 2016 (Italy)
* November 16, 2016 (Egypt)
* November 18, 2016 (USA)
* December 1, 2016 (Singapore)
* December 12, 2016 (Portugal)
* December 16, 2016 (Taiwan)
* December 21, 2016 (Belgium)
* December 22, 2016 (Netherlands)
* December 22, 2016 (Thailand)
* December 29, 2016 (Cambodia)
* January 5, 2017 (Hong Kong)
* January 12, 2017 (Germany)
* January 12, 2017 (Denmark)
* January 13, 2017 (Austria)
* January 13, 2017 (Bulgaria)
* January 13, 2017 (Latvia)
* January 13, 2017 (Norway)
* January 13, 2017 (Poland)
* January 13, 2017 (Romania)
* January 19, 2017 (Albania)
* January 19, 2017 (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
* January 19, 2017 (Croatia)
* January 19, 2017 (Hungary)
* January 19, 2017 (Israel)
* January 19, 2017 (Serbia)
* January 19, 2017 (Slovenia)
* January 19, 2017 (Slovakia)
* January 20, 2017 (Iceland)
* January 20, 2017 (Turkey)
* January 26, 2017 (Cyprus)
* January 26, 2017 (Greece)
* January 29, 2017 (Sweden) (Goteborg Film Festival)
* February 9, 2017 (Australia)
* February 23, 2017 (Czech Republic)
* March 2, 2017 (Kazakhstan)
* March 2, 2017 (New Zealand)
* March 2, 2017 (Russia)
* March 2, 2017 (Ukraine)
* March 17, 2017 (Argentina) (Pantalla Pinamar Festival)
* August 26, 2017 (Japan)

### Home Media Release Dates

* February 27, 2017 (UK) (DVD)
* February 27, 2017 (UK) (Blu-Ray)
* May 9, 2017 (USA) (DVD)
* May 9, 2017 (USA) (Blu-Ray)

## Production

On August 24, 2015, it was announced that Roger Spottiswoode would direct a film based on the book *A Street Cat Named Bob* by James Bowen, while Tim John scripted the film. Adam Rolston would produce the film through his production company Shooting Script Films. The Exchange sold the film's international rights. Maria Nation also wrote the script.

Principal photography on the film began on October 25, 2015 in London, at Twickenham Film Studios and on location in Covent Garden. Filming wrapped up on December 6, 2015.

## Reception

### Box office

*A Street Cat Named Bob* grossed $16,053,043 worldwide on an $8 million budget.

### Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 77% based on 65 reviews, with an average score of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "*A Street Cat Named Bob* uses a fact-based feelgood tale as the inspiration for an unapologetically heartwarming movie that should move all but the most cynical of viewers." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 54 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The film also has a 7.4 rating on IMDb.

## Company Credits

### Production Companies

* Stage 6 Films
* Shooting Script Films
* Studio Pictures
* Hindsight Media (as Prescience)
* Iris Productions
* The Exchange

### Distributors

* Cleopatra Entertainment (2016) (USA) (theatrical)
* Entertainment One (2016) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2017) (Australia) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2016) (Brazil) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2017) (Denmark) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2017) (Norway) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2016) (Spain) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2016) (Sweden) (theatrical)
* Sony Pictures Releasing (2016) (UK) (theatrical)
* Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2017) (Russia) (theatrical)
* Notorious Pictures (2016) (Italy) (all media)
* Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2017) (UK) (DVD)
* Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2017) (UK) (Blu-Ray)
* Cleopatra Entertainment (2017) (USA) (DVD)
* Cleopatra Entertainment (2017) (USA) (Blu-Ray)