'Bob Trevino Likes It' Review: Friending a New Father Figure | SXSW 2024
You can't trade your dad at the dad store, but you can find a new one on Facebook. That's what 25-year-old Lily Trevino does in Bob Trevino Likes It, a coming-of-age drama about a lonely young woman seeking a connection when her dad abandons her – inspired by the true friendship that writer/director Tracie Laymon found with a stranger when looking for her father online. Have to love it when your friendship with a man with the same name as your dad is so strong that you made a movie about it and won SXSW 2024's Best Narrative Feature award.
Credit: John Rosario / Chosen Family, LLC
NR
Runtime: 1 Hr and 42 Minutes
Production Companies: Laymon's Terms, Five By Eight Productions, Purple Intuition, ArtImage Entertainment, BondIt Media Capital, Off Media, Myriad Pictures, Daydream Studios, Seasick Studios
Distributor: N/A
Director: Tracie Laymon
Writer: Tracie Laymon
Cast: Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stewart, Lauren "Lolo" Spencer, Rachel Bay Jones
Release Date: N/A
SXSW 2024 Coverage
Lonesome yet cheery Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) tends to the only two people in her sphere: her health aid client, Daphne (Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer), and the other, her neglectful, emotionally distant dad, Bob (French Stewart), who only sees her as his wingman for bad dates rather than his daughter. After a dinner date goes awry, Bob cuts Lily off entirely. Spiraling, Lily looks up her estranged dad on Facebook only to find that she virtually befriended another man who happened to be named Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo). Trevino, a construction worker, also faces loneliness, for his focus is on his job and wife (Rachel Bay Jones), who is grieving the loss of their late infant. Trevino and Trevino start talking virtually, and eventually, they meet up in real life (they surprisingly live near each other) and strike a bond. Through the familial camaraderie she shares with this new Bob, Lily begins to recognize the psychological abuse she received from her dad throughout her upbringing.
Bob Trevino Likes It is the cinematic equivalent of the George Michael song "Father Figure." Writer/director Tracie Laymon wastes no time coloring on the depressing relationship Lily and her bio-Bob shares. Bob speaks to Lily as if she's a burden, constantly reminding her how much she screwed up his playboy life just for existing (unless he needs to take advantage of her). The big infuriating one comes when Lily accidentally ruins a potential partner for Bob with an honest mixup. You want to hug this poor girl and call CPS, 25 be damned.
The psychological aftermath of child neglect and abandonment that carries into adulthood through Lily's dormant manner is the most investing element of Laymon's script. Even at her lowest point, where Lily acts impulsively with a lack of awareness or displays cringeworthy awkward tendencies, the loneliness you can tell she's endured drives her actions. Sometimes, her character study is more effective than her heartwarming connection with Facebook-Bob.
Once FB-Bob and Lily's worlds collide and Lily goes, "You are my dad; you're my dad, boogie, woogie, woogie," the film becomes a relieving breath of air as it's admittedly sweet to see this girl finally experience happiness. They share a genuine, well-earned bond, partly stemming from John Leguizamo's grounded, charming performance as the titular Bob Trevino. He is mature enough to go, "I ain't your dad. But we can be friends.” He and the incredible Barbie Ferreira bear remarkable familial chemistry that paints this portrait with a realism that instantly captures your heart. I broke down in tears at a certain point, and it's a scene involving Bob taking Lily to a pound to hold puppies. There's a specific context that I'm not going to give away that makes that scene ever so powerful, but man, once Lily sobs in joy, my Pisces sun comes rearing its head into my tear ducts.
He who should not be named doesn't deserve Barbie Ferreira, man. We don't deserve her. I'm astounded by the subtle and lifelike passion she brings to this portrait of a repressed, stilted, manipulated adult character. Undeniably, this is Barbie Ferreira's career-best performance thus far and cinematic proof that she's a force of nature.
Man, French Stewart is so damn good as slimy bio-Bob, acting as the perfect asshole parent that you can't help but hate. I last saw Stewart in CinderElmo, one of my old VHS tapes. He played Elmo's dog, who had turned human through magic. To see someone I recognized from childhood as a shitty dad is mind-boggling. He's exceptional in this film; I wonder why Stewart is not in more feature projects because he's pretty talented. No, this is not nostalgia talking. The scenes he shares with Ferreira are distressing moments that get you riled up.
I also love the moments between Ferreira and her client Daphne, her only solace offering genuine friendship outside of being her health aid caregiver. Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer always brings her timely, charismatic energy and charm, omnipresent in her career, from Give Me Liberty to Sex Lives of College Girls.
The latter half of Bob Trevino Likes It plays its sentimental cards too frequently, drowning you in continuous drama beats – one more emotionally devastating than the last. Sometimes, it leaves the characters little to no breathing room to process the big life revelations or tragedies they face. By its tear-jerking, soul-stirring finale, I couldn't emote, especially at the most tragic beats, leaving me feeling a bit cold by its end. Thankfully, it never veers into schmaltziness, for Laymon's writing and direction are entirely down to Earth.
Bob Trevino Likes It offers standout performances from Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo as the best "found family via Facebook” dynamic. It is a sincere, sweet portrait of healing and how the strangers we meet help us recognize ourselves.
Rating: 3.5/5 | 74%
