52 Films by Women Vol 9. 18. Bob Trevino Likes It (Director: Tracie Laymon)
Who is the worst
screen father? Not Darth Vader, because he discovered his light side just at
the right moment. Probably Logan Roy from Succession. Noone
wept at his funeral. But somewhere in the Top 100 is Bob Trevino (French
Stewart) in the uplifting American comedy drama, Bob Trevino Likes It,
written and directed by Tracie Laymon. He is a father so odious, he does not
listen to his only child, Lily (Barbie Ferreira) when she tells him that she
has been dumped by her boyfriend. Worse, he can’t stop talking about the
retirement community women he has been dating, a process of discrimination he
detests. ‘I have learned that I cannot bear watching women eat,’ he pronounces,
inadvertently including Lily in that list. ‘Well, you’re not watching, you’re
listening to them,’ Lily offers by way of retort. Bob has made his choice and
invites Lily to join him on a date the next evening. As an end to the request,
never mind that Lily is heartbroken, could she pick up the tab?
Lily texts her ex, Thad, instructing him to lose her number. She wears a dress especially for her father’s date, only to forget which woman he is trying to impress, congratulating her on a son she doesn’t have and referring to a hobby she doesn’t pursue. Bob decides to distance himself from her. He won’t accept her apology and has her forcibly removed from the mobile home retirement community where he lives. He doesn’t respond to her messages.
Pictured: Candidate for cinema's worst screen dad, Robert 'I left my wallet at home' Trevino (French Stewart) in a scene from writer-director Tracie Laymon's comedy-drama, 'Bob Trevino Likes It'. Still courtesy of Roadside Attractions (US)
Lily only has one
friend, her employer, Daphne (Lauren Spencer), a young woman who has a
condition that requires a wheelchair. Daphne enjoys it when they hang out,
which isn’t so often now Lily leaves after finishing her paid shift. Which
leaves Lily on the internet having not much to post on Facebook. She decides to
look for her father’s name and finds a man in the next state who doesn’t have a
profile picture. Lily decides to follow him and before long they are exchanging
polite messages that he types while at work. This Bob (John Leguizamo) works in
construction and carries out safety inspection. He doesn’t like sports and
doesn’t hang out with other guys, preferring to spend time at home. His one
hobby is stargazing. When we meet him he is deciding whether to purchase a $475
telescope. As metaphors go, it is obvious – shooting stars give us hope – but
okay, there are stories in the naming of constellations and humanity is not
above anthropomorphising great balls of fire. However, he doesn’t click ‘buy
it’. His wife, Jeanie (Rachel Bay Jones) wants to purchase some special paper
for her latest scrapbook – she is an award-winning scrapbook compiler – and
after some agitation, Bob says ‘yes’. He delights in her smile. We wonder
whether Jeanie’s desire to travel to a scrapbook contest without her husband
and to send him out to drink with work buddies is a mask for an affair. It is
no spoiler to say that it isn’t. Both Bob and Jeanie are in mourning.
John Leguizamo has voiced Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age and played the guy who shot Carlito Brigante in Carlito’s Way. So what’s to like? Actually, a lot. Watching the film doing President Trump’s second term, we feel an innate sympathy for characters of Latino descent who are being targeted by Trump-mandated ICE agents, whether they are fully naturalised American citizens or not. So we feel that this Bob Trevino is the subject of racism. Bob is a decent professional who covers his lazy boss’s ass. He also knows he’s an employee. He has standards and, as he puts it, cares. Care, in the service of a good cause – non-violent, respectful of others – counts.
Bob agrees to meet
Lily for coffee. We aren’t sure how it will turn out. When Bob thinks Lily is
passing him off as her father, he wants out. Lily tries to convince him
otherwise. They have moments to share. This includes Lily trying to teach Bob
to play basketball. Bob can barely dribble the ball. This seemed a stretch but
not everyone can do team sports. Lily has never been camping. Bob takes her
while Jeanie is away on her trip. They stare at the stars. Lily doesn’t like
pets, but only because after he caught her dancing with her pet dog as a little
girl, her father took the dog away to be put down. Driving back from their
camping trip, Bob takes her to an animal shelter. Bob encourages her to hold a
dog, to take comfort from doing so. He holds a dog himself and moves his hips
in a semi-dancing motion. Lily smiles. Bob likes all her photographs and posts.
Childhood pictures. Hashtag ‘best lunch ever’. He describes his trauma.
Bob and Jeanie had a
child with a debilitating condition. Their son was given 18 months to live. He
survived to 21 months. The couple saw him grow a little, delight in the small
connections he made, the outfits he wore. Afterwards, they never tried for
another child. Instead they retreated. Bob into his work, Jeanie her
scrapbooks. This gave them a certain amount of comfort, but neither is able to
move on.
Lily isn’t able to
move on either. Daphne takes her to a Rage Room – there are apparently such
things – where individuals can let off steam by smashing up outdated office
equipment with a baseball bat, though I have to point out, recycling is much
better. Lily can’t bear to let her anger out or utter a primal scream. When at
the start of the movie, she relates her upbringing to a trainee therapist who
is required to provide three thousand hours of counselling before she can
qualify, the therapist bursts into tears. Lily’s neglect runs deep – her mother
was a drug addict who left the family when Lily was aged four and never got
back in touch. Her father cared for her but was not above abandoning her.
Robert Trevino –
Lily’s father – comes back into her life unexpectedly and makes a request. He
provides her with pieces of paper that list his outgoings on Lily from birth.
He is like John Self’s ‘father’ featured in Martin Amis’ novel, Money. ‘I haven’t got any cash,’ Lily tells him. ‘What about this other Bob?
Why don’t you ask him?’ If Lily wasn’t disgusted by her father before, she is
now.
Events take a darker
turn to the extent that Lily tries to break into Bob’s home. When the police
are called, she requires her father’s help. He takes her to his retirement
mobile phone where she makes an unpleasant discovery, one which proves to be a
deal breaker.
Pictured: Lily 'I made my psychiatrist cry' Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) in a scene from writer-director Tracie Laymon's comedy-drama, 'Bob Trevino Likes It'. Still courtesy of Roadside Attractions (US).
I mentioned at the
start of this review that Bob
Trevino Likes It is an
uplifting family drama. It is. Lily discovers the true meaning of family and
friendship in a scene that had me bawling. The characters are empathetic. The
drama is rooted in reality. Not just because Laymon did the same thing,
befriending a man online who had her father’s name. But because parents can be
neglectful, hurtful resentful and selfish. The film also attests to the
importance of memorialisation, allowing pictures to tell a story. Bob Trevino Likes It tells a great story.
Reviewed at Cinerama,
Rotterdam, Screen Six, Friday 22 August 2025, 10:50am screening
Comments
Post a Comment