Making a film about the redemptive relationship between one man and his cat was never going to be easy, but this heart-warming tale hits some purrfectly poignant notes (sorry).
When James Bowen released his autobiographical book A Street Cat Named Bob in 2012 it became an instant bestseller, and fans of the story are sure to lap up this movie adaptation.
Luke Treadaway stars as James, a young homeless man and a recovering heroin addict, who just about manages to survive on the streets of London by busking.
He has no family support - having been cut off from his father and his new family due to his drug addiction - and his only friend on the street is a fellow addict who threatens to drag him down.
James is given one last chance to turn his life around by his kindly and straight-talking support worker Val (Joanne Froggatt), who puts herself out on a limb to get him a flat to live in.
It's here that he first comes into contact with Bob - a stray cat that makes his way in through his kitchen window to happily feast on his cornflakes. He also meets one of his neighbours, Belle (Ruta Gedmintas), an animal-loving, free-spirited woman who helps gives him much-needed support when Bob arrives back injured one day.
It doesn't take long for James to cotton on to the fact that this is no ordinary moggy and they become inseparable, with Bob proving to be a big hit on the streets of London.
James notices a huge change in how he's perceived by people when he's with his loyal pal. In one particularly moving scene, James tells Val that he was called 'Sir' by a well dressed man on the street, someone who might have moved to the other side of the road to avoid him before.
Given strength and hope from Bob, James decides to go clean for the first time since his adolescence, and in one particularly vivid and well-realised scene, he goes cold turkey from methadone.
The film's strength lies in its honest depiction of drug addiction and the effect it has on everyone in the addict's life. It most powerfully hits this message home in a particularly scene between James and his estranged father Andrew, who is played with restraint and nuance by Anthony Head.
Overall, it's a heartwarming tale that is sure to go down well with the book's - and Bob's - ardent fanbase.
Sarah McIntyre
