Bob Trevino Likes It
Directed and Written by Tracie Laymon
Starring Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stuart, & Rachel Bay Jones
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour and 42 minutes
In theaters on March 21

by Carmen Paddock, Staff Writer

It is fair to say Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) is thoroughly disappointed in men at the start of Tracie Laymon’s Bob Trevino Likes It. The film opens as Lily’s boyfriend sends a text clearly not meant for her; the camera stays tight on her face as, through her tears, she sends a response and realises the relationship is over. Her estranged father Robert (French Stuart) is another male letdown in her life. Refusing to take his unreliability as an answer, she sets out to hunt him down on social media. She sends a message to a different Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) around her father’s age, who begins liking her Facebook posts. Soon, the question of whether or not they are truly related falls to the background as they share more about their lives, dreams, setbacks, and hopes despite the familial struggles each has faced.

To spoil any aspect of Bob Trevino Likes It beyond the premise – and the fact that it is based on a true story – would do a disservice to the journey Lily and Bob go on together. Laymon’s script is built around the ways people communicate – exploring things said and unsaid in person, over the phone, and through social media (an imperfect medium to be sure, but full of possibilities for connection). She relies on the words shared to convey the story, letting facets of Lily’s and Bob’s stories emerge organically and avoiding clunky exposition drops. The result, as their closeness and resulting honesty grow, takes the viewer along on the journey of serendipity and second chances with almost overwhelming poignancy.

Despite the fantastic script and well-designed aspects at every level of the production (John Rosario’s cinematography employs close-ups for maximum effect throughout), the performances take Bob Trevino Likes It to the next level. As a character, Lily is disarmingly vulnerable – bursting into tears is her natural reaction when confronted with dashed dreams and loss. It is a different type of heroine to the casual, cool, even prickly protagonist of many recent coming-of-age stories; while she does not immediately trust or open up to anyone, her feelings are visible – sometimes to her chagrin – from the moment she is moved rather than a hidden side to be excavated later on in the film. Ferreira’s fully committed performance is a tour-de-force, and through her, Lily’s softness becomes the film’s emotional anchor and her own emotional strength.

Leguizamo, accomplished across genres in his storied career and no stranger to the big and bold, uses his charisma to convince of Bob’s openness to this random Facebook encounter. However, there is no sign of overacting; the warmth and naturalism with which he imbues Bob could very well (and should) make him a front-runner in supporting actor awards conversations.

Supporting performances from Lolo Spencer as Lily’s roommate and Rachel Bay Jones (best known for her work on Broadway) as Bob’s partner are equally excellent, both acting as quiet foils to Lily’s and Bob’s more active approaches and openly stated motivations. By portraying this more quiet approach to life’s difficulties and disappointments in parallel, Bob Trevino Likes It becomes grounded in the diversity yet universality of human existence: no one shares the same experiences or processes them in the same way, but everyone knows loss – of families, of futures, or even of selves shed in the process of growing up and becoming someone new.

Told with wit, love, and endless empathy, Bob Trevino Likes It is guaranteed to move even the stoniest of hearts. A small miracle of coincidence, chance, and trusting fellow humans, it finds value in the most mundane kindnesses. True, these small acts of goodness will not stave off the uncontrollable and unforeseeable, but it does not diminish their value and effects on the soul.

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