Un 'like' de Bob Trevino

Ah, look at all the lonely people.

As I watched the new film, Bob Trevino Likes It, I was reminded of that Beatles classic about loneliness and depression. Almost every character in the film is experiencing some form of sadness. Yet, it's not a depressing film because the characters are particularly likeable, even at their lowest points. You connect with them on a personal level. You want them to be happy.

The film is based on the life of Writer/Director/Producer Tracie Laymon and the friendship she accidentally strikes up with a stranger on the internet. Yes, the idea sounds creepy, but the relationship Lily Trevino has with her actual father is far more disturbing. Turning in a beautiful, hopeful performance, actress Barbie Ferreira is always reminded that she's not the child her father wanted. Robert Trevino (French Stewart) seems to have little use for her. He's far more interested in her savings account to pay for his bills and uses her to butter up his stream of online hookups.

Dragging her along to dinners and events, he tells her to make him look good. Robert wants a relationship because he's 'tired of paying to watch women eat'. Yes, he's a very unlikeable person who doesn't realize how awful he sounds. Even when he's the one chintzing out at mealtime, forgetting his wallet, suggesting his dinner dates order something cheaper. He doesn't understand what he's doing wrong and Lily doesn't have the heart to tell him how bad he makes himself look. Instead, she takes the blame for all his dating failures.

When Robert angrily cuts her out of his life for a mishap at a dinner date, Lily still attempts to reconcile with him, but is faced with his indifference. A few weeks later, she again decides to try to reach him, this time through social media. She friends a 'Bob Trevino' on Facebook. However, it's the wrong Bob Trevino - it's not her dad, Robert.

This Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) is a kind, hardworking man, married to Jeanie (Rachel Bay Jones), the scrapbooking Queen of the state. Though they live in the same home, it's apparent that they have difficulty communicating with each other. There's a pervasive sadness in the home. Jeanie tries to get him to socialize with friends, he doesn't see the use in it. Then, out of the blue, Bob sees a notification on his Facebook page that someone wants to friend him, has 'liked' one of his rare posts. He accepts, begins 'liking' Lily's posts, and eventually he and Lily strike up a social media friendship.

At Lily's suggestion, they eventually meet and pursue the friendship, in real life. Though they are both emotionally blunted, they find a warm companionship with each other. There are no expectations. They have no past trauma with each other to dwell on, little to forgive and forget.

There's nothing creepy about it. Just two lonely people, filling in the holes that life has hollowed out in their souls. Lily enjoys taking care of people and Bob allows her to get close to him. And then, Bob drops out of sight. She feels ghosted and goes searching for an explanation.

Many times, social media divides and isolates; in the case of Bob Trevino Likes It, social media allows two lonely strangers a means to connect, if only for a brief time.

When I describe the plot of Bob Trevino Like It, I feel like I'm describing a proverbial Hallmark movie. However, there's zero cheese and no romance which is great.

The movie is based on the writer and director's real life experience. During a period when her father refused to talk to her, the protagonist searches for her father on Facebook. Send ends up sending a friend request to another man with the same name as her father. He begins to like her posts. Though she quickly realizes he is not her actual father, he innocently befriends her and this friendship ends up transforming her life.

As mentioned, there's no romance in this movie. This turns out to be great for this film. Romance is obviously one of the most emotional aspects of most of our lives which is why so many films include it. But a large part of our lives doesn't involve romance. So, it's great to see a film which doesn't feel compelled to go that route. It's also great for a film to depict a deep and meaningful friendship between and man and woman without it being sexual.

I'm not an expert, but I couldn't find anything to criticize about the movie. I thought it so good that it is only the 4th film I've ever rated 10/10.

The little 2024 film that could, earning a raft of audience and critical praise as well as a large collection of festival awards at some of the industries premiere events, one suspects that the life of Tracie Laymon's debut feature Bob Trevino Likes It is only just beginning as more audiences discover this based on a true story tale for themselves.

Based on Laymon's own personal experiences after meeting with an online contact while searching for a connection with her real life father, Trevino clearly comes from heartfelt place and while it walks the same path of many similar low-budget character driven films of the past, it's hard not to be moved and inspired by this small but effective offering that is worked brilliantly by its two leads.

Finally getting a chance to test herself in the feature film landscape after making her mark in hit HBO series Euphoria, a lot of Trevino's success rests on the shoulders of Barbie Ferreira and she is more than up for the task.

A tricky role for any performer to deliver on, with Lily being a complex and flawed iteration of Laymon's own-self, Ferreira does a fantastic job of keeping Lily on the right side of the ledger while at the same time creating a memorable chemistry with her off-sider John Leguizamo who is as good as his been in years as the softly spoken and kind-hearted Bob, reminding us all that when he is given the right material and he himself invests, he's one of Hollywood's most reliable character actors.

With her two leads on fine form there's any easy-going nature and feel to Trevino yet while viewers may feel as though they have everything pegged as the early stages march on, Laymon has some tricks up her sleeve with where Trevino goes and how it goes there, creating an emotionally resonate and powerful watching experience that is sure to surprise many unsuspecting viewers unaware of what Trevino has too say about life, love, friendship and finding ones way in this big scary world.

In a day and age where small independent films like Trevino feel like a dying breed as they are forced into fighting for space in cinemas or standing out in crowded streaming marketplaces, Laymon's relatable and humanly focussed dramedy isn't a revelatory experience but its a timely reminder of the power of films of this shape and size.

Final Say -

Sure to discover a wide-reaching and passionate fanbase as a larger audience accesses the film on home media, Bob Trevino Likes It is a heartfelt and heart-warming little tale that features two fine central performances anchoring proceedings.

3 1/2 possessed toilets out of 5.

Straight after watching it I had to write this review. First, Ferreira was amazing in this, and indeed all the actors were great. Really film was about a woman who was abandoned as a child by her mother, and raised by an uncaring and selfish father. She gets by, but is lonely. On the internet she meets a guy with the same name as her father, and he shows her platonic love.

I loved the original story, and the demonstration of caring between people who are all suffering with their own problems. A beautifully crafted film. Nice cinematography, beautifullly emotive. Such a touching film and for me a real gem. While sad, it shows a real positive aspect to humam hearts. Please watch this, it's great.

Bob Trevino Likes It deservedly won Best Narrative at SXSW, had full houses going on five showings. This film was one of the most life affirming I've seen in a while what with honest performances, a nuanced script that balanced laughs with sobbing (yep, the good kind). Diretor Laymon brings us a story steeped in the modern world of social media yet at the same time providing the audience the unrelenting power of human connection. Gloriously graceful and smart, Bob Trevino Likes It is a refreshing character study that rewards the audience by eschewing cheap gags and crass dialogue in service of masterful storytelling. A trumph!!!