“A lot of people like to start at the beginning.”

Good-hearted, warm, sincere. There are lots of ways to describe Bob Trevino Likes It, and it’s really any positive adjective of your choosing. I have a hard time imagining anyone outright disliking this film. Even when it gets dark and sad, it also comes back around to soothe us with a balm and a few affirmations. And even though I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a great movie, I have no issue with calling it an important one. This is a story about kindness extended towards others and towards the self. We seem to be in desperate need of that right now.

Lily (Barbie Ferreria, what most would call a “revelation” here) comes across as an individual going through arrested development. She’s 25 and works as a live-in aide but feels more like a high school senior, stunted by the trauma of her adolescence. Abandoned by her mother at a young age, left to fight for the attention of her gaslighting father Robert (French Stewart) who’s the definition of selfish and self-righteous. Robert evens goes so far as to write a physical inventory of every monetary cost Lily has incurred simply by being alive. Not even baby foodis off the table when it comes to what he feels he is owed. I’ve seen thousands and thousands of films, and Robert Trevino is right up there with the most irredeemable individuals I have ever come across on the screen. He’s what I like to call “a piece of shit.” It’s no wonder Lily’s own therapist cries when she recounts her upbringing.

Desperation leads to Lily searching for her father on Facebook, and destiny links her with another man by the same name. This is Bob Trevino (a typically fantastic John Leguizamo), an earnest man who works hard and sees a fellow human in need. He freely likes Lily’s attention-seeking posts, and the two eventually meet under awkward circumstances. But even when Lily makes things weird, Bob is willing to talk and to listen to her. She’s shocked by his generosity and his curiosity in her, like a shelter puppy used to everyone passing by until one day someone finally stops and looks and says hello. Bob has experienced his own losses alongside his wife, and it becomes clear why he wants to spend so much time with Lily. Not only is he helping her mature, she is helping him cope. Sometimes we meet the right people at just the right time even if it is just for a little while.

Bob Trevino Likes It isn’t just about having a father figure or a parent to help you navigate the world. This movie is about found friendship, how real life bonding trumps anything we can do alone on the internet, and reminds us just how important it is to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. The human endeavor is at its best when we act as a collective, and even with its flaws, the film assures us that we’re all in this together. Kindness this authentic and endearing can move mountains, shape hearts, and breathe new life into deflated lungs. It isn’t hard to say hello, share a smile, or to simply “like” something. You never know what it might mean to someone else.

“She’s screaming into the void.”

Rating: 4 out of 5