Voicemails for Isabelle - A Netflix Movie Review

Life brings things in our favor.

“Voicemails for Isabelle” is a 2026 Netflix film. When Jill loses her little sister, Isabelle, she still leaves voicemails for her. Only the phone messages link to Wes, who seeks Jill. They start a romance while picking up missing pieces.

“Voicemails for Isabelle” is a powerful movie. The storyline about a woman leaving voicemails for her late sister gave me all the feels, reminding me of my late aunt. As much as I enjoyed the film, it should have had a completely different storyline. The romance was forced, pushing aside an important message about finding our way.

Zoey Deutch plays Jill, a woman with no filter, who is grieving a loss. Deutch carries genuine emotion for her character’s broken heart, reciting tearful voicemail monologues. As she fights through the tough moments, Jill stands up to her roadblocks and chooses her own way.

No offense to Nick Robinson, who is a talented actor, but his character felt like such a waste. Wes receives the voicemails, but that’s all there is to his character. We don’t know anything about him. It would have helped if Wes were also searching for a similar lesson, but all he wants is romance with a woman he thinks he knows.

Ciara Bravo stars as Isabella, Jill’s ailing sister. I grew up watching Bravo on the Nickelodeon TV show “Big Time Rush,” where she played Kendell’s intelligent younger sister, Katie. Although her role is brief, Bravo portrays a brave demeanor that suits her character’s eccentric bravery.

Bravo and Deutch created a genuine sibling bond. Siblings have their own weird bonds. The pair's conversations are so meaningful, even if they’re just talking nonsense.

More credits include Harry Shum Jr., Leah McKendrick, Toby Sandeman, Nick Offerman, Tanis Dolman, and Gil Bellows. Alice Comer and Iris Everly were wonderful as the characters' younger counterparts. Most characters felt like typical stereotypes, like Wes’s friends.

The movie reminded me of “Love Again” (2023), a similar story where two people meet and fall in love under the same circumstances. Except that character motivations and the relationship felt genuine.

Along with acting, Leah McKendrick directs the movie. It was inspired by McKendrick’s relationship with her own sister, who is still alive. She wanted to make a movie about it. She crafted a film that is funny, bittersweet, and about unconditional love.

Her direction is the film’s biggest strength, though the story wasn’t its strong suit. To me, “Voicemails to Isabelle” misses its whole point. Instead of romance, it should have been a new friendship between two people going through similar grief journeys. The part that Jill is missing is a bond, not a relationship. She even states that in the movie.

Whether that character is Wes or not, there’s a minor character with whom Jill has a strained working relationship until they suddenly become business partners. In my opinion, there was more of a story and chemistry between these characters than between Jill and Wes. It also should have spent more time with Jill and her parents.

The movie is too long. I enjoyed the film for what it is, but it overshadows the moral. And that is, we will lose people in our lives. However, we will find new connections. Grief is an awful feeling, but nobody ever fights it alone. Give your friends and family a call because you never realize how meaningful those conversations are until later.

“Voicemails for Isabelle” is streaming on Netflix. It’s worth checking out for its heartwarming story. It gave me all the feels and made me laugh.