Bob Trevino Likes It
review by Bobby Blakey
I am a massive John Lequizamo fan so if he is involved in the project, I am already in. His latest film, Bob Trevino Likes It was not on my radar, so I knew nothing about it, but of course I had to see it. In addition to Lequizamo the film stars Barbie Ferreira, French Stewart, Lauren "Lolo" Spencer, and Rachel Bay Jones and Tracie Laymon at the helm both writing and directing based on real life events in her life. Could this film be one worth liking like Bob does or should it have been unfriended?
Bob Trevino Likes It follows Lily Trevino who longs for familial connection, often playing the role of caretaker to people like her father, who should be caring for her. When her father, Robert, finally checks out of her life, Lily looks for him on the internet. She tries to “friend” a man she believes is her father on Facebook. But instead finds Bob Trevino instead who works long hours at a construction company to support his wife Jeanie’s elaborate scrapbooking habit. The couple has endured a lot in the past decade, and Bob has prioritized his wife’s healing to the point of ignoring his feelings and sense of loneliness. When Bob gets an unexpected Facebook message from Lily Trevino, he discerns she needs a friend as much as he does.
Since I didn’t know anything about the story or anything else regarding this film, I was thrown right out the gate dealing with the daughter and her father’s relationship and how dysfunctional it was. French Stewart is so good as this horrible father, and you cannot help but hate him every time he is on screen. You want to believe that there is something good coming from him, but you have zero hope of it every coming through. This relationship is the catalyst to the entire story of the film that has nothing to do with him, but everything to do with him at the same time.
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The real lead here comes from Barbie Ferrera who does an excellent job bringing all the struggles, emotions and laughs to the role. She takes us on her journey as she is just trying to connect with her father in some way and the use of social media is not only relatable, but interesting as a story element. Knowing that this is based on director Laymon’s real experience with this exact thing makes it more relatable to the viewers. One of the things I loved was the slow pace of building their online relationship before getting them to an in-person situation. There is a seemingly quick transition when it finally happens, but it makes sense to the way it is handled.
Ferrera and Lequizamo have great chemistry together, building a beautiful relationship that is part friendship and family in a way that you fully understand due to the things they were both going through. Both characters have storylines that long for love and belonging in different ways and their meeting plays into both to perfection feeding their friendship while healing their soul all at once. It plays up in the best way without trying to make anything from it other than the heartfelt friendship that it was. There is a moment at the end of the film that appears it is about to try and make someone believe there was something else going on before it does the perfect twist on you to the perfect ending.
This is one of those movies that packs so much heart and love into the pain they are fighting and you come out on the other side with tears and happiness. It is a beautiful story and perfectly executed to be one of those kinds of films that might not get the push it rightly deserves but will hopefully still find the audience that deserves to see it.
Decide for yourself and check out Bo Trevino Likes It in theaters now from Roadside Attractions.