Bob Trevino Likes It ★★★★

Released: 26 May 2025 (Digital)

Director: Tracie Laymon

Starring: John Leguizamo, Barbie Ferreira

Unfortunately missing out on hitting cinema screens here in the UK, Bob Trevino Likes It finally releases on digital, after receiving high praise on the festival circuit and upon its theatrical release in the US. It is the directorial debut from Tracie Laymon, and stars Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) and John Leguizamo (John Wick) in the lead roles. Ferreira plays Lily Trevino, a lonely 25-year-old who strikes up a friendship with an online stranger who shares her self-centered father’s name. Expertly told through incredible performances from the entire cast, a moving story and lived-in characters, Bob Trevino Likes It is a triumph.

The film may have a simplistic story, but it tells it well. Lily (Ferreira) has had a tough life, her mum leaving her at a young age due to drugs, leading her to be brought up by a disinterested father. Blamed for things that weren’t her fault, put last behind women and his dating life and even being asked to lend money, Lily constantly seeks her father’s approval and a relationship with him despite all signs telling her not to. Stuck in a mundane life of working, counselling sessions and trying to get her dads attention, a lonely and upset Lily adds ‘Bob Trevino’ on Facebook. This winds up being not HER Bob Trevino but another, childless and married to a woman with a hobby of scrap-booking and an inability to talk about the past and spend time with her husband. The two strike up an unlikely yet endearing friendship, impacting each others lives in ways they never imagined. Paving the way for themes of grief, loss, loneliness and most importantly, friendship, Bob Trevino Likes It manages to achieve a lot with its simple yet effective storyline.

What makes the movie work as well as it does are the two performances heading it. Barbie Ferreira is incredible as Lily, ensuring she is sweet, likable and easy to root for throughout the entire run-time. We instantly sympathize with her due to her tricky past, though she wins us over more and more as their story progresses with her naive charm, adorable laugh and desire for a special bond with someone. She is incredibly needy and has much self-doubt due to being left by most of her loved ones, but this doesn’t get in the way of her insistence on being a good person and friend. Bob is just as enjoyable, thanks to an almost career-best performance from John Leguizamo. A complete workaholic, Bob doesn’t have many friends himself, and the broken relationship with his wife due to the loss of their child some years ago means he also needs a helping hand in life. His friendship with Lily not only convinces him to get out of the house more, but gives him someone to share his hobbies with. For Lily, Bob is the father figure she never had, and for Bob, Lily is someone completely outside of his mundane life that he can forget it all with. Their friendship is genuine, loving and naturalistic, with Ferreira and Leguizamo ensuring it is believable at all times. Notable performances are also delivered by Rachel Bay Jones (Ben is Back) as Bob’s wife Jeanie, and French Stewart (Leaving Las Vegas) as Lily’s father, the other Bob Trevino.

Bob Trevino Likes It may seem like a heavy film due to its intense themes of loneliness and grief, and it’s certainly a tearjerker at times, but its ideal blend of comedy and drama ensures it’ll put a smile on your face. During its short run-time of just over 100 minutes, it manages to give us something valuable to chew on whilst simultaneously making us laugh. Lessons of friendship, letting go and grief are explored through hilarious conversations between Lily and Bob, heartfelt moments of them spending time together waiting for comets or cuddling dogs, and hijinks including flooded bathrooms and broken toilets. Lily herself is incredibly funny, with Ferreira delivering even her most sombre and shocking lines in an upbeat and casual manner. It might include some hard-to-face conversations, blunt home truths for our characters and stark realizations, but the underlying message of hope and the importance of friendship elevate it to more than just a sob story. With lived in characters that feel all too real with their relatable worries and experiences, it’s impossible not to put yourself in their shoes and feel every inch of what they’re feeling.

Bob Trevino Likes It might be a little predictable in places, and pull a few strings to ensure you feel the emotions it wants you to, but that doesn’t stop it from becoming one of the best dramedies of 2025 thus far. Astonishing performances, important themes that are explored well and a story and characters worth rooting for make Bob Trevino Likes It shine. Equal parts funny and heartfelt, it’s a digital release not to be missed.