Film: A street cat named Bob

After having conquered the internet, are cats and their antics now also coming for the cinema? Let us hope not. The chance that A Street Cat Named Bob is going to start a trend is not very high.

This sweet film is slightly too light and rosy for that. Like all cats, Bob knows that it only takes some gentle head-butting and purring to get people to share their food. Unfortunately, he doesn't pick the healthiest specimen: a homeless busker who is struggling with addiction.

The film is based on a book in which busker James Bowen tells the story of how a stray cat named Bob helped him to get his life back together. We have no idea how saccharine the book is, but the film suffers from a lack of street credibility. Its depiction of life on the streets is suspiciously sunny.

Actor Luke Treadaway manages to incorporate some reserve into his performance, but this film gets way ahead of itself trying to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

> A street cat named Bob. US, 2015, dir.: Roger Spottiswoode, act.: Luke Treadaway, Joanne Froggatt, 103 min. UGC Gulden Vlies/Toison d'Or