“Bob Trevino Likes It” (2024) is based on a true story from director Tracie Laymon about her journey of looking for her father online. It originally premiered at the 2024 South by Southwest Film and TV Festival, and released to select theaters in 2025.
25-year-old Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) is desperate for any familial connection she can find. Her father (French Stewart) is a childish narcissist who “quits” their relationship, and her mother abandoned her at a young age. Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) is a construction worker who works day and night to fund his wife’s (Rachel Bay Jones) scrapbooking habits. One night Lily finds Bob on Facebook and the two begin to build a friendship that heals both of their past wounds — Bob filling in as Lily’s father figure, teaching her everything her biological father hasn’t, and Lily teaching Bob how to let go and embrace life more.
In many of his films, John Leguizamo has been subjected to typecasting as the nerdy, uptight leading man who slowly gets introduced to a new way of living. And that typecasting never gets old. This movie is heartwarming in many ways. The relationship between Lily and Bob tugs on all of the viewer’s heartstrings. Laymon really tries to show how sad and desperate Lily’s life is: from her father giving her an itemized list of how much it took to raise her and then asking for money, to the opening scene where Lily’s boyfriend sends her a message calling her Heide and thanking her for the fun night. Lily tells him he has the wrong number, and he only replies “Oh. Sorry.” Lily responds with “No Prob : ).”
Bob’s life is no better. Constantly getting berated at his job that he already puts long hours into, the film later reveals that he lost his son at a young age and that his and his wife’s relationship have suffered because of that. Bob even has a heart attack once he finally stands up to his boss and quits his job.
Throughout the film, the viewer begins to realize how lonely the two are and how much a win is needed for both of them. I think Laymon does a good job of depicting this relationship and showing the awkwardness of it as well. There’s a 30-year age gap between the two, and the dialogue as Bob tries to keep up with Lily’s lingo is hilarious.
The one critique I have towards the movie is the acting from Barbie Ferreria; I think at times her character acts a bit too young. Theres a scene where Lily doesn’t know what a plunger is and mistakes it for toilet brush. Since she is 25 years old, it is a bit unbelievable.
Overall, the ending was cute, and this movie is a must watch for anyone who needs to pick me up or hates Father’s Day.