If you’re in the mood for a film to lift your spirits and make you laugh, don’t miss Bob Trevino Likes It, screening Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m at the Paradise Cinemas. It’s a feel-good indie charmer, packed with heart and humour, and it’s won not one but thirteen audience awards at various film festivals across North America.
Barbie Ferreira (famous for her role in the first two seasons of HBO’s Euphoria) stars as Lily Trevino, an effervescent, cheerful, but lonely 25-year-old who works as a live-in caretaker. Unfortunately, she’s endured years of criticism and rejection from her father Bob (French Stewart) and it’s taken a toll on her self-image and self-esteem. A rather cruel and bitter man, he has spent Lily’s upbringing taking his own misery out on her, ever since her mother left the scene years before. When Lily accidently confuses his most recent date for a different lady, thus spoiling his chances for a potential romance, he cuts off contact with her.
Lily, feeling desperate and cast off by her real father, eventually searches for him online, where she does come across a Bob Trevino on Facebook. (The movie is set sometime in the early 2010s, at a time when the internet seemed a lot more innocuous to us all). Could this be her father? Thankfully, it’s not. Rather, she has stumbled upon a different and much kinder Bob Trevino, played marvellously by screen legend John Leguizamo, who happens to live nearby. When this unknown internet stranger (who shares her father’s name), likes some of her posts, a charming intergenerational friendship ensues.
This new Bob Trevino is funny, caring, and helpful, in large doses what her real father is not. Will having a surrogate father figure give Lily the confidence she needs to confront her own father? Working as a construction manager, Bob is happily married, but he and his wife are no stranger to grief and loss. This burgeoning platonic friendship with Lily serves a meaningful purpose to him as well. To the curiosity and cautious interest of his wife, we see Bob find purpose beyond the numbness of his daily routine. A large amount of the joy of this film is watching how a newfound and unexpected friendship can change your life.
Yes, it might sound like a bit of a hokey premise. However, it’s a semi-autographical tale for first time writer-director Tracie Laymon, and she guides the film with authenticity that shines through, while largely steering clear of clichéd territory. Meanwhile, Ferreira and Leguizamo share a genuine heartfelt chemistry, matched with spot on comedic timing, both elevating the film with their remarkable performances. This combination is probably in a large part why the movie ultimately hits home as incredibly sincere and moving.
We hope you leave the theatre not just liking Bob Trevino, but loving it.
Bob Trevino Likes It is screening on Thursday, April 3 at the Paradise Cinemas (78 Third Ave South). Rated PG. It’s got a 94 per cent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Rated PG and appropriate for anyone aged 12 and up. General admission tickets are $10 and are on sale now at the Open Book. Remaining tickets will be sold in the cinema lobby prior to the screening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m.
