Movie Review: Bob Trevino Likes It

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful dramedy. 

For this movie director/writer Tracie Laymon reached into true events in her own life to bring us this story of a young woman with no friends and a selfish father who doesn't give her the love and affection she needs finding a deep friendship with a man she meets online with the same name as her dad. In lesser hands such a story might have come off as too sentimental and emotionally manipulative. However, Tracie Laymon's personal connection with the story makes it anything but that. This movie and its characters feel completely real to us. We care deeply about the main character. It is easy to feel a real connection to her and anyone who has ever struggled with self-worth can see themselves in her. It is not long into the movie that we simply want to jump in the screen and give her a big hug. Because of this we personally feel hurt when dad disowns her and feel the same joy that she does when she meets this new friend. 

the friendship at the heart of this movie is also completely believable and natural. We truly feel the platonic love between these two characters, and this leads to some genuine tearjerker moments. The performances of Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo are truly fantastic and make this movie feel all the more real. There is also a real chemistry between these actors allowing us to feel the friendship between them in every scene. The humor is not as abundant as one might expect from such a dramedy, but it is legitimately funny with some real laugh out loud moments.

A wonderful movie.