[SXSW 2024] BOB TREVINO LIKES IT Director Tracie Laymon and Producer Sean Mullin Talk the Family Dramedy on Its Red Carpet

By Sean Boelman

Tracie Laymon’s feature debut Bob Trevino Likes It was one of the buzziest premieres in this year’s SXSW Narrative Feature Competition, largely thanks to a star-studded cast including Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), John Leguizamo (Romeo + Juliet), and French Stewart (3rd Rock From the Sun). A semi-autobiographical retelling of the filmmaker’s experiences, the film follows a young woman who, growing disillusioned with her manipulative father, bonds with a man on Facebook who shares his same name. It’s a family dramedy that’s equal parts touching and hilarious but consistently crowd-pleasing in the best possible way.

One of the things that makes Bob Trevino Likes It stand out is that it’s an uplifting story about social media. All too often, movies about social media tend to focus on the negative, emphasizing its dangers. However, in Bob Trevino Likes It, the protagonist (Ferreira) finds a wholesome, heartfelt connection with a stranger on social media (Leguizamo).

When asked about the film’s unique perspective on the timely theme of social media, producer Sean Mullin said: “I think this is probably the first great movie about how social media can actually do good. There's not a lot of them, and I hope there are more, but this is actually a positive social media movie, which is really exciting to get out into the world.”

However, the aspect of Bob Trevino Likes It that is likely to resonate most with audiences is its exploration of the theme of chosen family. Throughout the movie, Ferreira’s character finds an unexpected father-like figure in Leguizamo’s character. The result will be intensely relatable to many viewers, especially those who have felt cast out or otherized by their family members.

Mullin explains: “We can't pick who we’re born to — our biological families; sometimes they're really, really wonderful and lovely, but sometimes, we need to stand up and set boundaries, and we need to hold our own. I think in this time, this day and age, where a lot is up for discussion, what is family? I think this idea of creating your own, regardless of blood, is really important. That's why I think this is really an essential film.”

Writer-director Tracie Laymon adds: “A lot of the time, we're born into situations, and we think this is all we get. You just keep trying to bark up the wrong tree or get love from people who may not love you or accept you, and I think that’s a kind of universal thing. So, I think the importance of chosen family is that sometimes you have to let go of the people who continually hurt you to make room for the people who want to love you and are right there. If you stop spending all your time and energy with people who maybe can't do it, there are so many people; there are so many connections to be had.”

Bob Trevino Likes It screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which ran March 8-16 in Austin, TX.