Voicemails for Isabelle

One of the things I’ve discovered from watching movies is that when you find a filmmaker or actor whose work you connect with, you should follow them wherever they go. Part of that is simply wanting to support artists you enjoy, but the bigger reason is that you usually know what you’re getting. There’s a good chance their sensibilities align with yours, and that makes taking a chance on something new a lot easier.

That’s exactly what drew me to the new Netflix romantic comedy, Voicemails for Isabelle. Seeing the names Leah McKendrick and Zoey Deutch attached was all I needed to know, and thankfully, their winning streak with me continues.

Jill (Zoey Deutch) has always been the perfect big sister to Isabelle (Ciara Bravo), standing by her side through her battle with cancer. Outside of her sister, Jill’s greatest passion is baking, and that passion takes her from the heart of Texas to San Francisco, where she lands a job working for a former Top Chef contestant (Nick Offerman).

Just as Jill seems to be getting her life on track and pursuing her dreams, tragedy strikes when Isabelle loses her long fight with cancer. Lost without her sister, Jill begins coping with her grief by leaving voicemails on Isabelle’s old phone number. What she doesn’t realize is that the number now belongs to Wes (Nick Robinson), a real estate broker living in Austin.

At first, Wes gets a kick out of the messages. But before long, he finds himself falling for the woman leaving them. When an opportunity arises for him to relocate to San Francisco, he takes it, hoping to find a way to meet Jill. Armed with the details he’s learned through her voicemails, Wes begins searching for her, but whether their connection is fate or just another disappointment in love remains to be seen.

Written and directed by Leah McKendrick, Voicemails for Isabelle gets one of the most important ingredients of a romantic comedy right: a lead charismatic enough to carry the entire film. McKendrick clearly understands the formula, and the movie often feels like a lighter, more modern take on You’ve Got Mail, which I mean as a compliment.

Even with the emotional weight of losing her sister hanging over the story, McKendrick wisely avoids making the film overly heavy. Instead, she keeps things relatively light, focusing much of the comedy on Jill’s disastrous dating life—something Wes becomes intimately familiar with through the voicemails he listens to. That setup creates an interesting spin on the traditional rom-com courtship, leading to plenty of montages, misunderstandings, and even a few Taylor Swift needle drops along the way.

Voicemails for Isabelle doesn’t exactly reinvent the romantic comedy, but it has more than enough going for it to make the journey worthwhile. Its greatest asset is Zoey Deutch, who once again proves why she’s one of the genre’s most reliable stars. She brings an infectious energy to the film and elevates scenes that might otherwise feel familiar.

When you pair her with Nick Robinson, the chemistry between them goes a long way toward covering up some of the movie’s shortcomings. Those shortcomings mostly come in the form of occasional tonal shifts that feel abrupt and a few dramatic detours that don’t entirely work. Still, McKendrick delivers enough charm and heart to overcome those issues.

In the end, Voicemails for Isabelle may not become a new rom-com classic, but thanks to McKendrick’s light touch and another winning performance from Deutch, it’s an easy movie to spend a couple of hours with and a solid choice if you’re looking to feel a little something.

Brian Taylor

Member of the North Texas Film Critics Association, and lover of all things Cinema