A Christmas Gift From Bob (2020): A Festive Story of Friendship and Second Chances
A Christmas Gift From Bob (2020) continues the true story of street musician James Bowen and his cat Bob as they face new challenges on the streets of London, this time during the holiday season.
A Christmas Gift From Bob
Alternate title: A Gift From Bob
Director: Charles Martin Smith
Country: UK
London has always been one of my favorite cities, and one of the best times to be there is during the Christmas season. As soon as the calendar flips to November, the streets glow with lights, shops and restaurants put up their holiday decorations, Christmas markets appear, and festive music fills the air.
And now we have a movie that brings together both London and the holidays: A Christmas Gift From Bob.
Plot Summary
A Christmas Gift From Bob adapts James Bowen’s book A Gift From Bob, along with some elements from The Little Book of Bob: Life Lessons From a Streetwise Cat, and is set in London during the Christmas season.
It picks up exactly where A Street Cat Named Bob ended, continuing the true story of street James and his cat, Bob, as they navigate poverty, James’ recovery from addiction, and the frequent lack of support from the people around them.
The film opens with James at a glamorous publishing party celebrating the success of the first book. He is asked to write a follow-up, but he can’t find the inspiration.
As he leaves the party and walks through Covent Garden, where he once busked, he notices a young homeless man. James stops and decides to share a story from his past—one that becomes the film’s central narrative and the inspiration for his next book.
The flashback takes us back to Christmas, when James and Bob faced some of their greatest challenges. James lives hand to mouth, busking and selling The Big Issue to get by. Money runs out, his housing feels precarious, and each setback threatens to overwhelm him.
The tension rises when the local animal welfare office launches an investigation into Bob’s care. Inspector Leon questions whether a street-based lifestyle can be suitable for a cat. This threat of losing Bob becomes the central external conflict.
Luckily, he and Bob receive a lot of support from friends and neighbors, who start a petition attesting to Bob’s well-being and the positive effect he has on James.
Will James and Bob be pulled apart? Or will a Christmas miracle keep them together?
A Modern Christmas Carol
A Christmas Gift From Bob strongly echoes the themes of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.
James isn’t a Scrooge-like miser, but he starts out stuck in a victim mindset and expecting the worst from life. Christmas becomes the moment when he faces his inner struggles and emerges with a stronger sense of kindness and community, much as in Scrooge’s journey toward compassion and human connection.
The themes line up as well: redemption, generosity, and the power of small acts of kindness.
James’ encounters with strangers, officials, and friends act as modern versions of Scrooge’s ghostly guides. They show him the impact of his decisions and the importance of his bond with Bob—just as the spirits reveal Scrooge’s past, present, and future. Even the people who doubt or judge James echo those who once dismissed Scrooge.
Bob, in his own way, serves as a catalyst. He nudges James to see himself more clearly and to believe he deserves better. Through their partnership, the film suggests that real change often comes not from dramatic visions but from steady loyalty, compassion, and the belief that life can improve—timeless ideas shared with Dickens’ classic.
The director: Charles Martin Smith
At the helm of it all was Charles Martin Smith, whom many will recognize from his acting career, especially his roles as Terry the Toad in American Graffiti (1973), DJ in Herbie Goes Bananas (1980), Farley in Never Cry Wolf (1983), and Oscar in The Untouchables (1987).
He was likely chosen for the director’s chair because of his extensive experience working with animals on set. Before A Christmas Gift From Bob, he had already directed several animal-focused films, including Air Bud (1997), Dolphin Tale (2011), Dolphin Tale 2 (2014), and A Dog’s Way Home (2019).
The Cast of A Christmas Gift From Bob
The actors are mostly the same as in the first film.
Luke Treadaway returns as our main character. Having spent considerable time with the real-life James, he picked up many of his habits and mannerisms.
Bob the cat once again appears as himself, with a few additional cats—”Bob-alikes”—used as stand-ins when needed.
Sadly, this film marks Bob’s final on-screen appearance. He passed away in June 2020, just months after filming wrapped. The movie closes with a dedication in loving memory of Bob.
The real James also makes a cameo. This time, he appears in Covent Garden, selling copies of the book A Street Cat Named Bob.
The supporting cast, however, is new.
Kristina Tonteri-Young joins the film as Bea, a friend who guides James and Bob through some of their most challenging moments. There’s also Phaldut Sharma, who appears as the neighbor who steps in to help keep James and Bob together when the animal welfare office tries to separate them.
Box Office
It’s possible that you never even knew this film existed, even if you’re a big fan of James and Bob. While the first book and its movie adaptation were huge successes—with the book selling over 3 million copies worldwide and the first film earning around US$17.9 million at the box office—the sequel was released with much less marketing.
While the first film had the novelty of introducing James and Bob’s story, the sequel focuses more on the emotional, community-driven, and festive aspects—which appeal more to a smaller, dedicated fan base rather than a broad theatrical audience.
Is A Christmas Gift From Bob Worth Watching?
Just as in the first film, A Christmas Gift From Bob excels in taking the viewer to the streets of London and bringing the city to life on screen. That alone makes it worth a watch.
And seeing Bob himself, of course, mainly because now, you get to enjoy the cat in a Christmas sweater while James is singing a personalized version of “Jingle Bells” with Bob’s name.
A Christmas Gift From Bob is a pleasant hour and a half—but it doesn’t go beyond that.
The story is forgettable mainly because there’s no major character arc. This isn’t the dramatic journey from homelessness and addiction to hope and a book deal that made the first film compelling.
Yes, there’s the subplot about the animal welfare office threatening to take Bob. However, because we already know the outcome, it never really has much of an emotional impact.
It’s really about the idea that “Christmas is a feeling” and that, deep down, everyone carries goodness, even those you once believed were against you.
If you loved the first film or the books, you might like the sequel as well. But for anyone unfamiliar with James and Bob’s story, it won’t have the same effect.
Overall, it’s a gentle, festive follow-up rather than a story that can stand on its own.
A Christmas Gift From Bob or A Gift From Bob?
The film is going under two different titles: A Christmas Gift From Bob and A Gift From Bob.
The film’s official release title is A Christmas Gift from Bob. That is also the name used in marketing and on most film releases.
You will sometimes see it called A Gift from Bob because that is the title of the book it is based on.
Some databases and listings use the book title, while the film itself was promoted with the Christmas-themed version.
Final Thoughts
Are you a fan of Street Cat Bob? What do you think of Bob’s Christmas movie? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
If you love James and Bob’s festive tale, you may also want to check out the new Hallmark movie Christmas at the Catnip Café.
A Christmas Gift from Bob was also featured in Christmas Movies With Cats to Watch This Holiday Season.
Watch the Trailer
Where to Watch A Gift From Bob?
You can bring the magic of A Christmas Gift from Bob home today—available to stream or own on DVD or Blu-ray.
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About the Author
Vanessa Morgan is the editor of When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampires Movies, Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children, and Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies. She also published one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders). Three of her stories became movies. She introduces movie screenings at several European cinemas and film festivals and is also a programmer for the Offscreen in Brussels. When she is not writing, you will probably find her eating out or taking photos of felines for her website, Traveling Cats.
Discover even more cat movies in Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies.
A movie to see. Beautiful post.
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Wow how fun! I’ll be going to London next year so this would actually be a super fun watch for me!
It sounds like something my husband would enjoy, he’s a bit sappy about both cats and Christmas.