"Voicemails For Isabelle" — A Warm Romantic Comedy Born from a Wrong Number
The chemistry between Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson carries a most unusual love story that begins when voicemails left for a deceased sister reach the wrong phone.
According to Jordan King's review in Empire, Voicemails For Isabelle is an unexpectedly sensitive genre blend that weaves the classic "wrong number" rom-com device together with grief. Jill (Zoey Deutch), a promising pastry chef living a chaotic life in San Francisco, leaves her dead sister Isabelle a voicemail every day — messages that serve as both her therapy and her diary.
The trouble is, the messages no longer reach Isabelle's old number; instead they land on Wes's (Nick Robinson) new work phone. Wes is a Texas real-estate agent — orderly, cautious, a little fragile. Before long he finds himself looking forward to hearing Jill's voice. Classic rom-com plotting follows: should Wes tell her the truth, when should he tell her, and what happens once he does?
The film's strength comes from its pairing. Zoey Deutch holds the character's messiness, humor and underlying grief all at once; Nick Robinson balances her with a quiet, observant performance. According to Empire, the best scenes are the ones where the two aren't actually looking at each other: an intimacy built on voice alone forms the film's emotional backbone.
The direction plays it safe at times and leans too heavily on rom-com formula toward the end. But according to King, the real achievement of Voicemails For Isabelle is turning the idea of "continuing to talk to someone you're grieving" from a gimmick into the film's beating heart. It's a warm, wistful, easy-to-watch romantic comedy.
Source: Empire — Jordan King