March 29, 2025
by Carla Hay

Directed by Tracie Laymon
Culture Representation: Taking place in Kentucky, the dramatic film “Bob Trevino Likes It” (inspired by true events) features a predominantly white group of people (with a few Latin people and African Americans) representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: A lonely live-in aid caretaker, who craves love and attention from her narcissistic father, ends up meeting online and befriending an older man with the same name as her father.
Culture Audience: “Bob Trevino Likes It” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and bittersweet stories about friendships between people with medical issues.

“Bob Trevino Likes It” tells a memorable story about friendships with unexpected people. Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo give admirable performances in this emotionally impactful drama about found families. The movie also shows a realistic journey of someone in the process of healing from a dysfunctional biological family.
Written and directed by Tracie Laymon, “Bob Trevino Likes It” is inspired by many of Laymon’s real-life experiences. The movie’s end credits have a caption saying that the movie is dedicated to Tracie Laymon’s father Bob Laymon, who was born in 1957 and died n 2021. “Bob Trevino Likes It” (which is Laymon’s feature-film directorial debut) had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award in the Narrative Features category. The movie takes place primarily in Kentucky, where “Bob Trevino Likes It” was filmed on location.
“Bob Trevino Likes It” begins by showing 25-year-old Lily Trevino (played by Barbie Ferreira) sobbing as she looks at a text message on her phone. The message is from a guy named Thad (who is never seen in the movie), whom Lily ahs been dating for an unnamed period of time. Lily is crying because Thad texted her a message that was meant for someone named Heidi.
Thad’s message says, “Hey, Heidi. Had a badass time tonight. Can’t wait to see you again, beautiful.” And that’s how Lily has found out that Thad has been cheating on Lily. Lily texts this reply to Thad: “Hey Thad. This is actually Lily.” Thad responds, “Oh shit. Sorry.” Lily types out this reply: “Lose my number, jerk!” But instead of sending that message, she sends this message instead: “No problem.” And then she cries even harder.
This opening scene is a snapshot of what Lily’s people-pleasing personality is like. She’s sensitive and compassionate but has such low self-esteem that she lets people degrade her and thinks she is somehow at fault for this degradation, when she’s not. And no one devalues and degrades Lily more than her father Robert Trevino (played by French Stewart), who can best be described as someone who shows all the indications of having narcissistic personality disorder.
Lily works as a live-in aid caregiver to a woman in her 20s named Daphne (played by Lauren “Lolo” Spencer), who uses a wheelchair. Daphne is also lonely like Lily, but Daphne has much more confidence than Lily. Daphne tries to befriend Lily, who keeps somewhat of a professional distance and doesn’t tell Daphne much about her personal life. Lily is an aspiring poet and posts some of her work online.
The day after Lily ends her relationship with Thad, she has breakfast with her father Robert at a local diner. Robert (whose nickname is Bob) lives in a mobile home park for senior citizens called Shady Oaks, where people know him as Robert. He has been divorced for years from Lily’s mother, who developed a drug addiction and abandoned the family when Lily was a child. Robert raised Lily as a struggling single parent and never lets Lily forget it.
Over time, viewers will notice that Robert only meets up with Lily in person when he wants something from her. On this particular day, Lily tells Robert that she’s feeling a little sad because she recently broke up with a boyfriend. Instead of being sympathetic, Robert complains to Lily about his small number of dating prospects at Shady Oaks and makes several misogynistic comments about women’s physical looks and their ages.
Robert tells Lily that he needs her help because he wants to “seal the deal” (have sex) with a woman named Helene (played by Debra Stipe), whom he’s been courting. Robert thinks he’ll increase his chances if Helene thinks he’s a caring father, so he wants Lily to accompany him on his next date with Helene. Lily agrees because she’ll do almost anything to please her father.
The date—which is at a local Mexican restaurant where Robert uses a coupon during the date—turns out to be a disaster because Lily accidentally confuses Helene with another woman whom Robert told Lily about. Helene quickly figures out Robert is interested in dating at least one other woman. Helene is offended and quickly ends the date. Robert is enraged with Lily, who makes profuse apologies, but Bob tells Lily not to contact him again.
Lily shows up at Robert’s home to make another apology, but he pretends that she’s harassing him, so Lily gets escorted off of the property by the home park’s security personnel. Feeling lonely and rejected on Father’s Day, Lily goes on social media and posts a childhood photo of herself with Robert. One of the few people who “likes” her photo online is someone by the name of Bob Trevino, who doesn’t have a profile photo.
Lily contacts this Bob Trevino, thinking that this is her father, who used the nickname Bob until he started living at Shady Oaks. It turns out that the Bob Trevino (played by John Leguizamo) who “liked” Lily’s photo actually lives about a one-hour drive away. Bob, who is in his late 50s or early 60s, works as a construction manager at Harley Hickory Homes. He lives a quiet life with his wife Jeanie (played by Rachel Bay Jones), who is an avid scrapbooker.
Lily makes contact with Bob and finds out that they are not related to each other. Still, Bob and Lily they start a friendly, platonic relationship online and eventually meet in person. Just like Lily, Bob is an only child who is an introvert and no close friends. The rest of the movie is about the journey this friendship takes through ups and downs. Bob opens up to Lily about why he and Jeanie do not have any children. Lily tells Bob about her troubled relationship with her father.
“Bob Trevino Likes It” undoubtedly has tearjerking moments that will touch viewers regardless of what anyone’s family situation is. Ferreira and Leguizamo are absolutely fantastic together as these two unlikely friends. The supporting cast members give meaningful performances. “Bob Trevino Likes It” is an impressive feature-film directorial debut from Laymon, who has taken a personal and often-painful true story and turned into a cinematic gem with a powerful message about finding and giving love and compassion during challenging times.
Roadside Attractions released “Bob Trevino Likes It” in select U.S. cinemas on March 21, 2025.