A meeting of minds: Barbie Ferreira & John Leguizamo. Photo / Supplied
A meeting of minds: Barbie Ferreira & John Leguizamo. Photo / Supplied
Bob Trevino Likes It, directed by Tracie Laymon, is in cinemas now.
We hear plenty of stories about the perils of meeting strangers on the internet, but this semi-autobiographical tale is one positive example of mistaken identity gone right.
Lonely 24-year-old carer Lily Trevino (Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira) puts on abrave face and everyone else’s needs first while being buffeted by a relentless series of cruel rejections. The boy she’s seeing accidentally texts her a philandering message meant for another girl, and Lily’s traumatic interactions with her selfish father leave her so hurt that in the retelling even her therapist is reduced to tears.
One lacklustre day, at the nadir of their estranged father-daughter relationship, Lily “friends” her dad on Facebook. Ecstatic when he responds by “liking” her post, Lily reaches out online – only to realise she’s found a different Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo) who is much more open and willing to engage.
The emotional rollercoaster these two bruised hearts climb on is by turns distressing and entrancing, owing to the touching central connection between a luminous Ferreira and veteran character actor Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge, The Menu) here displaying his dramatic chops.
Miraculously, Lily and Bob’s friendship steers clear of creepiness, with a purity of intention that delivers moving scenes in which Ferreira ably demonstrates her ability to sob on cue.
The supporting cast are almost as delightful as the leads. Disability advocate and model Lauren “Lolo” Spencer charms as Lily’s client Daphne, while Rachel Bay Jones defies expectations of the jealous wife as Bob’s gently grieving Jeanie.
But it’s French Stewart, turning from a comic career in 3rd Rock from the Sun to portray Lily’s “mean dad”, who gets the most outrageously unkind lines and sets Leguizamo’s nice dad up to win.
The wistful plot which sounds like pure fantasy is actually based on the real-life experience of writer-director Tracie Laymon, who once Facebooked her own useless father only to wind up with a different, better Bob. While Laymon’s script and direction has some hallmarks of a feature debut, her talent for fleshing out ordinary folks grappling with grief and loss will be evident by the tug on your heartstrings.
