Tracie Laymon may have arguably the year’s best feature debut. Her adapted from real life story, Bob Trevino Likes It, is masterfully crafted by its entire cast, bringing the film to emotional heights and devastating realizations, resulting in a movie that is quiet literally and nearly perfect in every aspect and facet of being. This is the definition of “indie darling.” Hopefully it doesn’t fly under a lot of radars because it is a marvelous film which is as poignant as it is significant. Everyone involved delivers (we knew this cast would already) and the new voice holding the pen and in the directors chair gets audiences excited for more.
Barbie Ferreira as Lily in BOB TREVINO LIKES IT. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
The movie focuses on Lily (Barbie Ferreira) as she is going through some turmoil in her personal life. The guy she was seeing accidentally texts her addressing a different woman and tells her about the great time he had the night prior. Meanwhile, her father, Robert (French Stewart), is trying to impress some woman he met as her mother passed away when Lily was a child, having never managed to successfully reconnect with another person since his wife’s death. While she is trying to balance everything, Lily is also slipping up with work, which is being a personal care giver for Daphne (Lauren “Lolo” Spencer) who, considering the similarities in age, is more than understanding and forgiving, but also wants to ensure her own safety.
L-R: John Leguizamo as Bob and Barbie Ferreira as Lily in BOB TREVINO LIKES IT. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
All of this comes to a halt when Lily and Robert go out to dinner with one of his prospects and Lily mixes her up with some of the other woman Robert has told her about, and he decides its time to completely and utterly cut his daughter out of his life. No remorse about it, just decides to throw it all away and abandon her in the parking lot of the restaurant because she “ruined” his date. Lily is now completely and understandably beside herself. She lost her “boyfriend” and now the only biological family she has left has decided to walk away, too, because of his own selfish reasons. Unsure about how to proceed with this information and life now, she goes on Facebook and starts looking up “Bob Trevino” without a real reason, but presumably to see if she can find some other family or a surrogate father in some way shape or form. This is where she meets Bob (John Leguizamo), Bob, unlike Robert, is down to Earth, caring, passionate, and filled with dad humor. At first, Jeanie (Rachel Bay Jones) is hesitant of her husband connecting and hanging out with a random woman on Facebook, but she trusts that her husband can figure out if it’s a scam (as she’s concerned) or not as Bob and Lily hit it off and this non-conventional friendship/guardianship blossoms.
French Stewart as Robert in BOB TREVINO LIKES IT. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Bob Trevino Likes It could have been a horrifying film about a young girl meeting a father-like figure on Facebook. It could’ve been a much darker film about how similar this was to her other relationships. It could’ve been a mountain of anything that it didn’t end up being, and that simply is because Laymon made a movie that is based on her own life and experience and not on something she created. The movie is beautifully haunting, touching, and is sure to resonate with anyone who’s ever been blindsided by a relationship ending or doesn’t have an ideal relationship with their family; just an absolutely beautiful heartbreaking story that is excelled by masterful performances from the entire cast.
L-R: Barbie Ferreira as Lily and John Leguizamo as Bob in BOB TREVINO LIKES IT. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Barbie Ferreira, who is most notably known for her role on Euphoria (that is going to change tenfold after this if it hasn’t already), shines bright in the portrayal of Lily Trevino. She brings heart, energy, and beautiful chaos to the role and character. Her impeccable performance is the blood and oxygen of the movie and is stunning from start to finish. French Stewart (Home Alone 4) is nearly the epitome of evil and cruel without causing physical harm and is as sinister as they come in the way he manages to inflict emotional devastation. Leguizamo (To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar) here, though, is legitimately the best he has been in years, delivering a grounded, heartfelt, and powerful performance that perfectly syncs with Barbie’s, creating one of the most enduring and touching moments of on-screen chemistry seen this year.
L-R: Barbie Ferreira as Lily and John Leguizamo as Bob in BOB TREVINO LIKES IT. Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Bob Trevino Likes It is not going to be the only one who likes it. Audiences are going to simply fall in love with Tracie Laymon’s feature debut and be inconsolable afterwards. It’s the unexpected hidden gem of 2025 thus far and is surely going to make Tracie a director to watch out for, shine a brighter light on Barbie Ferreira, and remind us that John Leguizamo and French Stewart are both absolutely terrific. Bob Trevino Likes It is a diamond in the rough, and one that will stay with audiences for years to come.
In theaters March 28th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Roadside Attractions Bob Trevino Likes It website.
Final Score: 4.5 out of 5.
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Categories: Films To Watch, In Theaters, Recommendation, Reviews
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