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'Bob Trevino Likes It' Is One of the Most Moving Films In Years

By Seth Freilich | Film | April 6, 2024 |

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Header Image Source: SXSW

The logline for Bob Trevino Likes It is preposterous — after an estrangement from her father, Lily becomes Facebook friends with a stranger who shares her dad’s name. However, writer/director Tracie Laymon takes this potentially silly premise and grounds it with humor and emotion, making it one of the most moving movies I have seen in years. That makes some sense knowing, after that fact, that the film was loosely inspired by Laymon’s own online search for an estranged father and the subsequent friendship they apparently formed. Keeping the film’s emotional punch rooted in this truth winds up turning that punch into a knockout.

There are three main plot threads in the film. The driving storyline is Lily’s (Barbie Ferreira, Euphoria) relationship with her father, Bob (French Stewart, 3rd Rock from the Sun). Upon first introduction, it is clear that their relationship is strained in no small part because Bob sucks and Lily is a mess. So, while the film mines some humor out of their interactions, it comes as no surprise when their relationship turns to estrangement as he coldly pronounces, “I’m done - go ruin your own life.” This then leads to the core throughline of the film and the source of its title, which is Lily trying to reconnect with her father through Facebook, where she instead befriends another Bob (John Leguizamo). And that, in turn, leads to the third plotline, which follows Bob’s personal struggles both at work (his boss sucks) and at home (his marriage, while not bad, is clearly strained and at risk of fraying for tragic reasons to be learned).

Over the film’s tight run time, there is a constant emotional dread hanging over almost everything. However, Layman does not let the film swim in that dread. While you are always worried that something bad may be coming, the film pulls humor and laughs out of the situations and even confronts some of that potential dread head-on, allaying the viewer’s fears. For example, you need not worry that Bob is going to get in trouble with his wife Jeanie (Rachel Bay Jones) for becoming online friends with a younger woman - she not only understands and supports her husband’s need for a platonic friend but cautions him given this particular situation that “honey, I think you’re getting catfished.” While there are a few moments of broader humor that threaten to distract from the film, Layman never veers too far from keeping the humor grounded in the emotions she is playing with.

While the script and direction hone and pull all of this together, it only works with the right cast. This film is first and foremost Ferreira’s, and she owns it. Whatever the truth is behind the drama of her leaving Euphoria, Ferreira is using this role to put everyone on notice. Lily is not an inherently likable character — while her father sucks, it’s not hard to see some of where he is coming from. As noted above, Lily’s life is a mess, which we get to see through the lens of her relationship with Daphne (Lauren “Lolo” Spencer) — a woman who she is working for as a caretaker assistant and is also maybe friends with. Ferreira is tasked with carrying all this (and falling into some emotional pits along the way) while also making sure she never loses the audience — this film does not work if we aren’t rooting for her to at least get a little on track by the end, and we sure as hell are rooting for her.

Similarly, this is Leguizamo’s best performance in years, which is no slight on The Menu or his other recent endeavors. Leguizamo often brings a frenetic energy that threatens to (and sometimes does) overtake his performance, but here, all of that energy is internalized. He allows just bits and pieces to peak through, offering a nuanced, toned-down performance of a broken man who is only now slowly realizing that he is both stuck in a rut and looking for something. This performance helps hook us into his burgeoning friendship with Lily and ensures that we’re not just rooting for Lily but also for Bob and their collective friendship.

While Spencer and Jones and everyone else are also very solid, the final part of the acting triptych that really pulls it all together is Stewart. He is almost unrecognizable in this role, which helps shed any preconceived notions one might have about his broad and squinty 3rd Rock performance. Even though he has dozens of subsequent roles, that show and performance is what he is still most known for and associated with, but maybe this role will change that. Here, Stewart refines what worked in 3rd Rock into a surface-level charm and humor while also always having this subtle undercurrent in his performance that never lets us forget that his Bob Trevino is a fundamentally broken human. When Lily’s dad finally brings all that damage to the forefront and lays it on Lily, we are not surprised, although we are taken aback, because seeing that burst through the bits of charm and humor makes it hurt all the more.

And ultimately, this is what makes this movie work. That scene is an absolutely devastating blow that punches Lily and the viewer in the belly. It is emotionally brutal. But it also sets a card up the film’s sleeve, allowing the movie’s final emotional beat to land. And that one is emotionally brutal but in an uplifting way. While I often tear up at films, I rarely find tears streaming down my face. Not only was I practically weeping, but this moment also caused a literal choking in my chest, and I let out some sort of gasping sound I’ve never heard myself make before (later speaking with a friend, she admitted to having the exact same guttural reaction). And yet that moment is not one of grief; it’s a gift and the culmination of the film’s thesis on blood versus found family.

I have always found it cliche when a writer says, “I’m still thinking about [insert scene from a show or movie] weeks later,” particularly as I rarely find myself thinking about most movies or shows at all after a few weeks, let alone a singular scene or moment. And yet, here I am, because even weeks removed from the screening, that scene literally springs to my mind several times a week. I have recently started curating a playlist of my favorite movies; I will obviously need to give this film some time, space, and a rewatch or two, but I’m pretty sure that Bob Trevino Likes It will hold a prominent place there.

Bob Trevino Likes It had its US premiere at SXSW 2024 and won the narrative feature competition’s grand jury prize AND the audience award. It’s good, y’all. This is why, even though it doesn’t have distribution yet, I’m confident it’ll be on our streamers sooner rather than later.