Joyeux Noël Bob

In a regular year I'd probably dismiss this as schmaltzy hallmark nonsense but it is indeed the year of our lord 2020 and I am in desperate need of anything that makes me feel optimistic about the world. The film also importantly features a very cute cat (which is my kryptonite) so no apologies for enjoying this.

Not having seen the first instalment of this movie series, I come at it with no expectations. Overall, I agree with most of the reviewers on here: it is a touching story (based on real-life, which is always a plus). I enjoyed watching the relationship between James (played by Luke Treadaway) and Bob (played by Bob the Cat), their interaction and the way James bonded with Bob. I found myself getting quite upset (maybe even shedding a tear or two) when, for example, Bob got sick. So, for me, at least, the film engaged me, it pulled me in. I did think that some elements of the plot were underdeveloped, the main one being, the shop owner/friend who started the petition. I think this was rather rushed. The acting was strong. Bob is played by a cat, so I will avoid critiquing Bob's performance here. But at the very least, Bob was cute, especially in his Christmas outfit, which is one of the adorable element to this film of course. Luke Treadaway's performance was pretty good. Keep in mind that he is trying to play someone in real-life as opposed to a fictional character; his performance was believable, I believe. The supporting cast was strong with some heartfelt performances. I did not find the film very uplifting in the sense that I thought things were going to get easier (but again, I did not see the first instalment of this series); it felt more to me like, James is going to struggle but he knows he has Bob and others to help him survive. I am not sure that is uplifting in a traditional sense ....but maybe it is for some. Overall, it is a touching story with some quality performances and an adorable cat, of course. If you are a cat lover and looking for a family holiday movie, then this one is for you.

Found this one overly preachy and formulaic.

It's good to see Luke Treadaway return as James, as well as Bob the Cat; before his sad passing. However, everything else felt too forced in 'A Christmas Gift from Bob'. The plot is boring and predictable, with most of the dialogue feeling like it's telling us about issues rather than showing us; which is the opposite of the 2016 film.

Away from Treadaway, who is solid, there aren't any exceptional support casts - though I did like Phaldut Sharma's Moody. It misses Ruta Gedmintas and Joanne Froggatt, though I can understand that they might not have fitted with the story that they went for here; especially Froggatt.

It does have some sweet scenes still, as well as the expected cat cuteness. Unfortunately, it just didn't work due to the earlier mentioned problems - at least in my opinion. It's nothing terrible, granted.

So the story is ridiculously slight, and by the time it got to the film's second half, and I realised what was happening/going to happen for the rest of its runtime, I was sort of like, "that's it?"

Also, most characters in this act a bit like NPCs in a video game, interacting with and existing around the protagonist and his cat.

But thanks to that cat, this movie is actually mostly redeemed. Everything not Bob-related is a bit flat and overly sentimental, but Bob was such a loveable, adorable cat (and he gets a little Christmas outfit in this!) that much of the movie is watchable thanks to his chemistry, and interactions with the film's main character.

The fact he passed away the year this came out does add an extra layer of emotion to the film that it otherwise might not have- while the movie's not great, it is great to have a way to see Bob play himself one last time.

If you don't like cats, though, this probably won't be very enjoyable for you.

The first film, although no classic, was decent, the book was even better. This, however, almost felt like a remake, not really sure what the point of it was. It's not really telling us much we don't know already.

Luke Treadaway plays the sympathetic James once again, and does so really well, this being the only highlight in a mainly drab and predictable movie. 5/10