Voicemails for Isabelle: Movie Review

When it comes to Netflix original rom-coms, this might be one of the best ones ever made. If you're looking for a modern movie that feels like a classic, then you need to watch this one. I think in the coming years we will refer to this film as one of the defining rom-coms of our generation, much similar to how Notting Hill defined the 90s, and How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days defined the early 2000.

In Voicemails for Isabelle, we follow Jill, an aspiring pastry chef who lives in San Francisco. Having only moved away from home a year ago, she misses her younger sister, Isabelle, who has been suffering from cystic fibrosis since she was a young child. Her and Jill have a very strong bond; every single night, Jill calls Isabelle and the two spend hours on the phone just talking and laughing about all the crazy stories from Jill's life. Jill offers to come visit sooner than intended when she finds out that Isabelle is not feeling well, but her sister convinces her not to.

That same night, Isabelle passes away. Understandably, everything changes for Jill. Guilt-ridden by the fact that she didn't get to say goodbye, and not knowing how to continue living without her baby sister, Jill struggles to keep it all together. She ends up finding solace in calling her sister's old phone number and leaving her voicemails, talking through every single thing that's happening in her life, from her horrible dating life to her toxic workplace. This quickly becomes her routine. Anything that happens, Isabelle's answering machine is the first one to hear about it.

This is how we're introduced to our male protagonist, Wes, who's a real-estate agent from Austin, Texas. Without Jill's knowledge, Isabelle's phone number gets reassigned to Wes's new work phone, and he starts receiving all the voicemails. Initially amused at this stranger's messages, he quickly becomes invested in Jill's life. He finds out that she's been dating her coworker Arthur, as well as a podcaster Tyler, and that her biggest dream is to become a baker. He eventually realises that Isabelle, the intended recipient of the voicemails, is dead, but he continues to listen and obsess over Jill and her life, much to the disapproval of his friends.

Wanting to meet Jill, Wes convinces his boss to send him on a business trip to San Francisco. Knowing exactly where Jill will be because of the messages she left for Isabelle, he "accidentally" runs into her. Jill is charmed by all of the things her and Wes seem to have in common, not knowing that he's already aware of everything there is to know about her and her life. The two quickly start dating and falling for each other. Wes battles with an internal conflict of whether or not he should tell Jill about the voicemails.

As their relationship becomes more serious, Wes takes Jill to his friends' wedding. At the reception, Jill calls Isabelle's number, but she realises that her call is being received by Wes's phone. Hurt and disgusted, she confronts him before leaving him.

This film has all the elements needed for a successful romantic comedy. The story is powerful and quite unique and the characters are well-written. You can't help but immediately fall in love with both Jill and Isabelle and the special relationship that they share, and Wes is a likeable love interest. Zoey Deutch is as charming as ever in her role, and Nick Robinson, although no stranger to being in big blockbuster movies, shines best when playing in romantic stories.

Although this is a romantic comedy, you'll need to have tissues at the ready. It will pull at your heartstrings and make you feel a million different emotions. There'll be tears and there'll be laughter, sometimes at the same time, and I promise you that it will hit you in your feels from the very first scene.

I can't recommend it enough.

"Sometimes, life rigs things in our favour."