Film Review: BOB TREVINO LIKES IT (2024): Tracie Laymon Hits a Nerve with a Thought-Provoking Emotional Drama
Bob Trevino Likes It Review
Bob Trevino Likes It (2024) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Tracie Laymon and starring Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stewart, Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer, Rachel Bay Jones, Ted Welch, Abigail Esmena, Ashlyn Moore, Phil Elam, Debra Stipe, Tristan Thompson and Savio Carvalho.
Life can often be messy and confusing and filmmaker Tracie Laymon’s film, Bob Trevino Likes It, shows life at its most complicated. You know, those times which are so difficult that one could wish they were anywhere else but in that particular messy moment. Laymon’s movie has a lot of heart and the film rests on the fact that it is both heartwarming and emotional, if not always soothing to watch due to some of its darker material. This movie doesn’t sugarcoat the complexity of the situations it portrays and that’s what makes it such an effective picture.
Barbie Ferreira stars in Bob Trevino Likes It and her layered performance is a breakout role for the young actress. She portrays Lily Trevino, a 20-something young woman who has a hard time relating to her selfish dad, Bob (played by French Stewart in a brave performance). It’s not Lily’s fault they don’t get along. It’s his. One day, Lily comes across another man’s profile on Facebook who has the same name as her dad. Through a twist of fate, this other Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) is a kind guy who she ends up meeting in person after some online message exchanges. This different “Bob Trevino” treats Lily with respect which is something she is not used to and Lily quickly warms up to this Bob’s caring sympathetic personality.
Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer ably portrays Daphne, a wheelchair bound young woman who Lily takes care of for work. Daphne is lonely and points out that Lily seems to treat her solely like a job when Lily could actually take the time to be friends with Daphne and get to know her better. Lily leaves work at her departure time very quickly but, soon, understands that it’s OK to be friends with Daphne who, in turn, invites her out to a place where Lily can get out her frustrations towards her dad. Spencer is well-cast in her role and adds dignity to her struggling character who is full of bottled up passions and needs Lily to help her because of her disability.
Rachel Bay Jones, in an admirable turn, is Jeanie, who is the new Bob’s significant other. She and Bob have suffered the tragedy of losing a child and have a solid relationship together though it is one that is full of turmoil thanks to the happenings of the past. As Lily and the new Bob form a powerful bond, it’s easy to see that Jeanie is losing out on valuable time with her partner while Lily gets to find some sort of happy medium in a life that is full of its own daily difficulties.
French Stewart is believable as Lily’s dad who treats her terribly. At one point, the father comes to Lily with an itemized list of what it cost him to be her dad. We all know parenting isn’t about keeping dollar by dollar tabs on what we spend and the father’s audacity to treat Lily with such disrespect could and will anger the viewer. This movie offers no cookie-cutter answers regarding this dysfunctional father/daughter dynamic. Instead, it presents scenes with raw intensity that allows Ferreira to sink her teeth into her dramatic role while Stewart paints a picture of the pathetic dad that feels authentic.
At the heart of the movie is the relationship between Ferreira’s character and Leguizamo’s. While Leguizamo has a long resume of unique roles, this may be his most heartfelt performance to date. Leguizamo’s Bob is a hard-worker who can’t get a fair raise at his job which would help him with his own relationship difficulties. When Bob and Lily get together, magic happens thanks to the fine work of Leguizamo and Ferreira who play off each other like two finely tuned violins filling the air with a perfect harmony.
Bob Trevino Likes It gets very sentimental towards the end. Maybe it’s a little schmaltzy but the viewer will enjoy the movie’s resolution nevertheless. Tracie Laymon really knows these characters inside and out and we feel we’ve known them much longer than the time that they are presented in this film. As the new Bob and Lily start to see each other as the hope they need to move forward with their lives, tragedy strikes and, alas, they will forever be affected by the friendship which the movie portrays.
Leguizamo has never shown this much heart in any of his previous roles while Ferreira could be deserving of awards consideration for her tremendously captivating performance which is full of genuine emotions that one will find very easy to relate to. Movies like this one are few and far between and must be appreciated when they arrive to ensure more heartfelt movies like this are made these days. Bob Trevino Likes It. I did too.
Rating: 7.5/10
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