Starring John Leguizamo and Barbie Ferreira, Bob Trevino Likes It is a devastatingly beautiful film. Ferreria plays Lily, a lost and lonely young woman. As a home healthcare worker, she has no colleagues and one client, Daphne (an always vivacious Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer). Her mom abandoned her as a child and her father (French Stewart) is an emotionally manipulative dirtbag, blaming his only daughter for his many failures. When we meet her, Lily is getting walked all over by an off-camera love interest.
Which is all to say, she’s alone in a profound way. So when her dad stops talking to her, she reaches out to someone sharing his name on Facebook, the Bob Trevino John Leguizamo plays. What follows is an insightful film about human connection – why we need it, how hard it can be to get, and how important it is.
I first caught Bob Trevino Likes It at SXSW 2024 with the stars and writer/director Tracie Laymon in attendance. She based the film on her real-life experience and at the premiere, she shared how meaningful it was to her to bring it to life. Laymon isn’t Latinx, which may explain Lily’s ethnic ambiguity (and the lack of an ñ in the title). But as a Texan born and raised, the filmmaker’s been around the cultura – and clearly sees and honors the humanity of her Latinx cast.
In the twelve+ months since its premiere, Bob Trevino Likes It has bounced around my subconscious. It tends to resurface, especially when Leguizamo makes headlines. But also when a friend of a friend has a stillborn. When someone shares a scrapbook. When a grown-up displays a particularly selfish parenting style.
These details make this film about loss feel oh-so-real. Lily and Bob are people who are hurting but find healing in their friendship. Bob becomes the de facto father Lily needs as Lily gives him a chance to nurture someone. Neither is perfect and both make mistakes, but they learn so much over the course of the film as it toggles between big emotions.
In some ways, Bob Trevino Likes It is a small, personal film about the quotidian ways we fail each other. There are no superheroes or chase scenes. No political upheavals or world events. Lily’s world is composed of regular folks, doing working-class jobs – there are no stars and very little glamour.
But it’s not a small film. It brims with emotion. There’s plenty of humor as Laymon’s script and direction gently nudge Lily in particular to break her patterns while lampooning her father. There’s also grief. So, so much grief. Bob’s marriage and home is filled with it. Lily has to mourn the childhood and familial connections she never had. Bob must learn a different way of asserting himself that doesn’t define his personhood through loss.
That’s a lot for a 101-minute comedy but Bob Trevino Likes It handles its swing in tones with ease, giving the audience breaks of laughter while spurring its characters on in their journeys. It’s a story that earns your tears through its thoughtful rumination on connection, hurt, and healing. And in the end, it delivers a beautiful film, showcasing Latinx talent in a decidedly human tale.
Bob Trevino Likes It is available to rent on multiple streaming platforms now.
