‘Bob Trevino Likes It’: A Wonderful Tale Of Chosen Family

Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) has had life hard enough to make a therapist-in-training cry. Her mother was an addict who hasn’t been around for years, leaving her in the care of her narcissistic father Bob (French Stewart). After a particularly nasty fight with her father, she tries to find him online, only to become Facebook friends with another man called Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo), and thus an unlikely friendship forms between two people from vastly different walks of life.

Director and writer Tracie Laymon gets the most she possibly can out of this premise in Bob Trevino Likes It, a deeply emotional and terrifically crafted film about the positive impact that people can have on one another in times of need. A deeply bittersweet experience, Laymon makes the characters of Lily and Bob feel staggeringly human in their problems and their need to find a friend, highlighting a positive aspect of social media rarely seen in film.

Bob Trevino Likes It works in large part due to the sensational performances on display by Ferreira and Leguizamo. The two seem an unlikely pairing, with Ferreira still largely at the beginning of her career and Leguizamo a veteran of the industry. Yet from their first meeting, it’s clear the two actors have a very particular kind of chemistry that the film needs.

Building a digital relationship with someone is very different to your first in-person meeting with them, with that rapport often not translating to real life. The beginning of their relationship is a bit awkward, and almost gets derailed by Lily pretending that this Bob is her actual father to a friend, but overcomes that for two hurting people to find a kindred spirit for one another.

Leguizamo and Ferreira are fantastic in Bob Trevino Likes It

Leguizamo is perfect as a lovably dorky man in his mid-50s that still harbours a deep sadness under the surface from past trauma in his life. His relationship with his wife is fine, but has strained under the weight of intense grief. Meanwhile, Ferreira is excellent as an elder Gen-Zer, who begins as a woman masking a lot of pain to someone with genuine joy in her heart – her performance tracks this journey to superb effect.

Bob Trevino Likes It is also notable for its splendid script, which balances humour and sadness with a deft pen. It’s a film that feels warm, reminiscent of that feeling that comes when you begin to know another person. You find out more about Lily and Bob as they share details of their lives with one another, to the point where their friendship becomes essentially familial by the time the credits roll. I’ll admit, it squeezed a couple tears out of my eyes!

And I’ve no shame in admitting that Bob Trevino Likes It was a tearjerker for me. When a film is this effective at investing you in the story of its characters, it’s hard not to feel emotionally affected by the hardships that they reveal to one another. Despite holding plenty of sadness, the film ultimately feels deeply life-affirming, and a warm reminder that you can choose who your friends and family are.

★★★★

Bob Trevino Likes It is in cinemas now.