Bob Trevino Likes It is a 2024 American comedy drama film written and directed by Tracie Laymon. It stars Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo with supporting roles provided by French Stewart and Rachel Bay Jones. The film centers around a young woman who searches for her estranged father, Bob Trevino, online and forms a bond with a different man of the same name. The story is semi-autobiographical, based on Laymon's personal experiences.

The film premiered on March 9, 2024, at South by Southwest where it won the festival's Grand Jury Award and Audience Award in the Narrative Feature categories.

Premise

A young woman named Lily Trevino uses Facebook to pursue her estranged father, Bob Trevino. In the process, she encounters a different, childless man of the same name who begins liking her posts, causing the two to correspond. Upon meeting up in real life, Bob becomes a father figure in Lily's life. ^[1]

Cast

• Barbie Ferreira as Lily Trevino
• John Leguizamo as Bob Trevino, Lily's surrogate father
• French Stewart as Robert, Lily's biological father
• Rachel Bay Jones as Jeanie
• Lolo Spencer as Daphne, Lily's roommate

Production

Production occurred in 2023; because it was independent of any major studios, the project received waivers to continue filming amidst the Hollywood labor disputes at the time. Filming took place in Louisville as well as other Kentucky locations in Bullitt, Franklin, Hardin, Henry, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties. ^[2] Tracie Laymon's company, Laymon's Terms, as well as Five By Eight Productions produced the film.

Release

The film premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 9, 2024, where it received the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award. ^{[3] [4]}

Reception

Following the film's SXSW release, Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com wrote that Bob Trevino Likes It is "the kind of movie that will make certain viewers roll their eyes but inspire others to see it multiple times in a theater, just to have that great feeling again." Seitz criticized Jeanie, Bob's wife, as a character lacking dimension but noted that his complaints about the movie were "minor in the greater scheme". ^[5]

Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter said of the film that it "draws its emotional power not from watching its characters break, but from letting them start to heal" and that it "succeeds beautifully on its own terms as a love letter, or perhaps a thank you note" but criticized how Lily and Bob seem to bond too easily, as their "jagged edges fit together as neatly as pieces of a puzzle". ^[6]

References