# Bob Trevino Likes It
**Bob Trevino Likes It** is a 2024 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tracie Laymon, her first feature film. It is a semi-autobiographical story inspired by Laymon's real-life experience of searching for her estranged father on Facebook and accidentally befriending a stranger with the same name.[1](https://www.seminci.com/en/peliculas/bob-trevino-likes-it/) • [2](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/bob-trevino-like-it-debut-film-tracie-laymon-interview/105062950) The film stars [Barbie Ferreira](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbie-ferreira) as Lily Trevino and [John Leguizamo](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-leguizamo) as the stranger Bob Trevino, with [French Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-stewart) as Lily's father Robert.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bob-trevino-likes-it/) It premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival, where it won both the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award.[4](https://www.sxsw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Press-Release-SXSW-2024-FILM-TV-AWARDS-RELEASE-FINAL-1.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Tracie Laymon, her first feature film, drawing on her own experience[1](https://www.seminci.com/en/peliculas/bob-trevino-likes-it/) |
| Cast | Barbie Ferreira (Lily Trevino), John Leguizamo (Bob Trevino), French Stewart (Robert Trevino), Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer (Daphne), Rachel Bay Jones (Jeanie)[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bob-trevino-likes-it/) |
| Premiere and awards | SXSW 2024 world premiere; Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award and Audience Award[4](https://www.sxsw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Press-Release-SXSW-2024-FILM-TV-AWARDS-RELEASE-FINAL-1.pdf) |
| Release | Limited theatrical release March 21, 2025 (Roadside Attractions); streaming May 6, 2025[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) |
| Runtime and rating | 102 minutes; PG-13 (thematic elements, brief strong language)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) |
| Reception | 95% on the Tomatometer from 82 reviews; Metascore 71 from 19 critic reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bob-trevino-likes-it/) |
| Box office | $534.0K gross in the United States[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Lily Trevino is a lonely twenty-something who has been abandoned by her mother as a child and then suddenly by her father, Robert, a self-centered and emotionally abusive man, in her twenties.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) • [6](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/bob-trevino-likes-it-emotional-roller-coaster-i-really-love-how-it-handles-this-one-topic) After her father cuts off contact, she searches for him on Facebook and sends a friend request to an account without a profile picture. It belongs to a different Bob Trevino, a married construction manager who has lost a child and, like Lily, has few friends.[7](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/watching-john-leguizamo-new-movie-found-family-message-bob-trevino-likes-it)
When this Bob likes some of Lily's posts, the two strike up a conversation, begin a friendship, and eventually meet in person.[7](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/watching-john-leguizamo-new-movie-found-family-message-bob-trevino-likes-it) Bob's small acts of fatherly kindness fill a familial void in Lily's life, while the friendship helps Bob deal with his grief; the film presents their bond as a form of chosen, or found, family.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) • [7](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/watching-john-leguizamo-new-movie-found-family-message-bob-trevino-likes-it) The story unfolds around the Kentucky-Indiana border.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/bob-trevino-likes-it-review-barbie-ferreira-lovebombs-us-all-in-quirk-fuelled-comedy)
## Inspiration and development
**A mistaken friend request.** Laymon grew up in Houston, Texas, and became estranged from her father. After a long period without contact, she sent him a friend request on Facebook; he accepted, but it was another man with the same name.[2](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/bob-trevino-like-it-debut-film-tracie-laymon-interview/105062950) The real friendship that followed became the basis of the film. Laymon has described the movie as a work of fiction inspired by a true friendship and a true situation in her life, saying she took the moments of evolution from her own life and that those moments are all true.[9](https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/339039/title) • [10](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-tracie-laymon/)
The real-life story took place over nine years, while the change and healing Laymon experienced happened within a few months, so she compacted the timeline for the film.[10](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-tracie-laymon/) Laymon had planned a short version, but after finishing the script she learned that the real Bob she had connected with online had passed away unexpectedly, and a full feature followed instead.[11](https://moveablefest.com/tracie-laymon-bob-trevino-likes-it/) She remains friends with his widow and cast their daughter in the film as a hardware store cashier.[12](https://www.thereelness.com/film/bob-trevino-likes-it/)
Laymon brought more than 15 years of production experience on movies and TV shows to the project, had interned for director [Richard Linklater](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-linklater), and had previously directed award-winning shorts such as *Mixed Signals* and *Ghosted*.[1](https://www.seminci.com/en/peliculas/bob-trevino-likes-it/) • [13](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bob-trevino-likes-it-sxsw-review/5191697.article) She made the film independently with her producing partner Sean Mullin.[11](https://moveablefest.com/tracie-laymon-bob-trevino-likes-it/) It was filmed in and around [Louisville, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/louisville-kentucky).[12](https://www.thereelness.com/film/bob-trevino-likes-it/)
## Release and reception
After its SXSW premiere in March 2024, the film received a limited theatrical release from Roadside Attractions on March 21, 2025, and began streaming on Hulu and Disney+ on May 6, 2025.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) Its United States gross was $534.0K.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it)
Critical response was strongly positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 95% Tomatometer from 82 reviews, with a critics consensus crediting the humane power of Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo's performances, and a 98% Popcornmeter score from more than 50 verified ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) On Metacritic it scored 71 out of 100 based on 19 critic reviews, described as generally favorable.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bob-trevino-likes-it/) Reviewers singled out the lead performances: the Guardian's Leslie Felperin, a film critic for that newspaper, wrote that Ferreira "shines as put-upon but good-hearted Lily," while the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle)'s Mick LaSalle, its longtime film critic, argued that when everyone in a cast is great, credit is due to the director.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/bob-trevino-likes-it-review-barbie-ferreira-lovebombs-us-all-in-quirk-fuelled-comedy) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it) The New York Times review called it a middling indie tear-jerker with an overwritten script, but found genuine feeling in Ferreira's performance.[14](https://vi.web-platforms-vi.nyti.nyt.net/2025/03/20/movies/bob-trevino-likes-it-review.html)
## Awards
At the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival the film won the Narrative Feature Competition Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.[4](https://www.sxsw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Press-Release-SXSW-2024-FILM-TV-AWARDS-RELEASE-FINAL-1.pdf) • [15](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28613536/awards/) At the Valladolid International Film Festival (SEMINCI) it was nominated for the Golden Spike for Best Film and won the Official Section Audience Award.[15](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28613536/awards/) At the Seattle International Film Festival it placed third for the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film, with Barbie Ferreira placing second for Best Performance.[15](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28613536/awards/) According to the film's official site, it won awards at more than 30 festivals.[16](https://www.bobtrevino.com/)
## References
1. [Bob Trevino Likes It, SEMINCI (Valladolid International Film Festival)](https://www.seminci.com/en/peliculas/bob-trevino-likes-it/)
2. [Bob Trevino Likes It is the remarkable story of a mistaken Facebook friend request, and the healing it gave, ABC News (Australia), 19 March 2025](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/bob-trevino-like-it-debut-film-tracie-laymon-interview/105062950)
3. [Bob Trevino Likes It Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bob-trevino-likes-it/)
4. [SXSW 2024 Film & TV Awards press release, SXSW, 13 March 2024](https://www.sxsw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Press-Release-SXSW-2024-FILM-TV-AWARDS-RELEASE-FINAL-1.pdf)
5. [Bob Trevino Likes It, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_trevino_likes_it)
6. [Bob Trevino Likes It Is An Emotional Roller Coaster, And I Really Love How It Handles This One Topic](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/bob-trevino-likes-it-emotional-roller-coaster-i-really-love-how-it-handles-this-one-topic)
7. [After Watching John Leguizamo's New Movie, I Need To Talk About The Importance Of Its Found Family Message, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/watching-john-leguizamo-new-movie-found-family-message-bob-trevino-likes-it)
8. [Bob Trevino Likes It review, The Guardian, 20 May 2025](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/bob-trevino-likes-it-review-barbie-ferreira-lovebombs-us-all-in-quirk-fuelled-comedy)
9. [EDGE Interview: Writer/Director Tracie Laymon Lays Out a Platform for Communicating with Chosen Family in 'Bob Trevino Likes It', EDGE United States](https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/339039/title)
10. [Interview: Bob Trevino Likes It writer/director Tracie Laymon on telling her unique story on film, The AU Review](https://www.theaureview.com/watch/interview-tracie-laymon/)
11. [Tracie Laymon on Making a Connection with "Bob Trevino Likes It", The Moveable Fest, 7 April 2025](https://moveablefest.com/tracie-laymon-bob-trevino-likes-it/)
12. [Bob Trevino Likes It, The Reelness](https://www.thereelness.com/film/bob-trevino-likes-it/)
13. ['Bob Trevino Likes It': SXSW Review, Screen Daily, 19 March 2024](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bob-trevino-likes-it-sxsw-review/5191697.article)
14. ['Bob Trevino Likes It' Review: From a Stranger to Found Family, The New York Times, 20 March 2025](https://vi.web-platforms-vi.nyti.nyt.net/2025/03/20/movies/bob-trevino-likes-it-review.html)
15. [Bob Trevino Likes It (2024) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28613536/awards/)
16. [Bob Trevino Likes It, official film site](https://www.bobtrevino.com/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2024 › Titles symbols to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license