The film centers around a young woman who searches for her estranged father, Bob Trevino, online and forms a bond with a different man of the same name.
[1] Production occurred in 2023; because it was independent of any major studios, the project received waivers to continue filming amidst the Hollywood labor disputes at the time.
[11] Following the film's SXSW release, Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com wrote that Bob Trevino Likes It is "the kind of movie that will make certain viewers roll their eyes but inspire others to see it multiple times in a theater, just to have that great feeling again."
Seitz criticized Jeanie, Bob's wife, as a character lacking dimension but noted that his complaints about the movie were "minor in the greater scheme".
[12] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter said of the film that it "draws its emotional power not from watching its characters break, but from letting them start to heal" and that it "succeeds beautifully on its own terms as a love letter, or perhaps a thank you note" but criticized how Lily and Bob seem to bond too easily, as their "jagged edges fit together as neatly as pieces of a puzzle".