"A Street Cat Named Bob" (Guardian 04/11/16)

A Street Cat Named Bob **

Dir: Roger Spottiswoode. With: Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Bob the Cat. 103 mins. Cert: 12A
 
More meme than movie, this cut-price rendering of James Bowen’s bestselling memoirs sees homeless busker Luke Treadaway’s plight positioned a distant second behind the ginger tom who reportedly hastened Bowen’s return from the margins. Truly spoilt, Bob is afforded more close-ups than Garbo at her peak, a jolly Routemaster excursion, even deeply silly cat’s-eye POV shots that distract from the generally featherheaded depiction of life below the poverty line. Longshots, however, reveal our feline hero would rather lick his nethers or ponder running into traffic than endure any more of Treadaway’s acoustic guitar stylings. Perhaps Ken Loach should have popped an otter in Daniel Blake’s pocket for luck.

A Street Cat Named Bob is now playing in cinemas nationwide.