Rom-Coms Are So Back—and Voicemails for Isabelle Had Me Crying for Two Hours
This was supposed to be my easy Friday night movie… Instead I sobbed for two hours.
Somewhere between the romance, the humor, and those seemingly ordinary voicemails, Voicemails for Isabelle became one of the best rom-coms I’ve watched in a very long time. It’s less about falling in love than it is about learning to live with grief and that’s exactly what caught me off guard. If you’re looking for a feel-good rom-com, this might not be exactly what you’re expecting. Somehow, it’s even better.
Is it worth watching ? Absolutely. Just make sure you have tissues nearby.
What Is Voicemails for Isabelle About?
After losing her younger sister, Isabelle, Jill continues calling her old phone number whenever she needs to talk. She leaves voicemails about everything : her chaotic dating life in San Francisco, her dreams about becoming a chef, the tiny moments that don’t seem important until you no longer have the person you’d usually share them with. What she doesn’t realize is that Isabelle’s old phone number has been reassigned. And every message is now being heard by Wes, a stranger who slowly becomes connected to Jill through the stories she never meant anyone else to hear.
While the romance is what brings the two characters together, Voicemails for Isabelle is ultimately about something much deeper: love, loss, and learning to move forward without leaving someone behind.
Is Voicemails for Isabelle Worth Watching?
Absolutely. Yes. Rom-Coms are so back! But this is not another cute silly little Netflix romance to have on in the background while you scroll your phone. Yes, it’s funny. Yes, it’s romantic. But it’s also surprisingly heavy.
The movie spends just as much time exploring grief as it does falling in love, and I honestly think that’s why it’s resonated with so many people online. It isn’t trying to convince us that love magically fixes everything. Instead, it shows that healing is messy, nonlinear and often happens in the smallest moments.
My Voicemails for Isabelle Netflix Movie Review
The biggest surprise for me was realizing that the romance wasn’t actually what I cared about most.
It was Jill and Isabelle. Their sisterhood bond. Even though Isabelle isn’t physically present for most of the movie, their relationship is what gives every scene its emotional weight. You can immediately understand why Jill keeps calling. We’ve all had that person we’d text first whenever something happened.
A promotion.
A breakup.
Something funny that happened at the grocery store.
When that person is suddenly gone, where do all those conversations go? That’s the question the movie quietly asks throughout its runtime, and I honestly don’t think I’ve seen many romantic comedies explore grief in such an honest way.
Zoey Deutch Gives One of Her Best Performances Yet
I’ve always liked Zoey Deutch. She has this natural ability to be funny without trying too hard, and she’s incredibly charismatic on screen. But this feels like one of her most mature performances. Jill is messy. Sometimes frustrating. Sometimes hilarious. Sometimes completely falling apart. And somehow Zoey makes every version of her believable. She doesn’t play grief as constant sadness. She plays it the way it often looks in real life. Some days you’re laughing. Some days you’re crying. Some days you’re doing both within five minutes.
Nick Robinson is also wonderful as Wes. His quieter energy balances Jill’s chaotic personality perfectly, and together they have the kind of chemistry that makes the romance feel natural rather than forced. He is also navigating his own grief as he lost his mom when he was younger and it just shows that everyone carries different emotional baggage and trauma.
Why Voicemails for Isabelle Was Really Emotional
This is the part that completely caught me off guard. I wasn’t crying because Jill and Wes finally kissed. I was crying because the movie perfectly captures what it’s like to miss someone in ordinary moments. Not the big milestones. The little ones. Wanting to send someone a meme. Calling them after a bad date. Telling them about your day. Those tiny moments somehow become the biggest losses after someone dies. That’s why the voicemails feel so powerful. They’re filled with completely ordinary conversations. And somehow those ordinary conversations become extraordinary because they can never actually happen again. I think anyone who’s lost someone close to them—whether that’s a sibling, parent, grandparent or friend—will probably recognize a little bit of themselves in Jill.
One of Netflix’s Best Romantic Movies in a Long Time
I really didn’t expect Voicemails for Isabelle to become one of my favorite Netflix movies of the year. I pressed play expecting an easy romantic comedy. Instead, I got a story about grief, healing, family and second chances that stayed with me long after the credits rolled. Yes, the romance is charming. Yes, Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson are fantastic.
But for me, this was more than a love story. It was a story about the people we never really stop talking to, even after they’re gone.
⭐ My rating: 5/5
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you laugh, cry and probably text your sister (or someone you love) afterward, I can’t recommend Voicemails for Isabelle enough.
Want to watch another romance series worth the hype? Check out our review of Off Campus on Prime Video here.
