VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Nick Offerman, and Ciara Bravo
Director: Leah McKendrick
PAIGE
Voicemails for Isabelle is definitely one of the better Netflix rom-coms. While it has its cliché moments and follows the same formulaic tropes of films that have come before it, like You’ve Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle, it’s still got a heart of its own. The movie does a great job of maintaining its lighthearted and charming tone while also sprinkling in some heavier themes to allow the emotional beats to hit you. Not to mention, its two leads, Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson, have effortless chemistry. All in all, it’s a cute and quirky romcom that certainly isn’t soulless.
ROBERT
Without knowing the plot of Voicemails for Isabelle beforehand, I guessed it in the middle of the first trailer. When that happens, I figure its predictability will be its downfall. However, the tropey nature doesn’t undercut its emotional heft and relationship portrayals. I found Jill (Zoey Deutch) and Isabelle’s (Ciara Bravo) sisterly bond to be one of the freshest and most aspirational takes on familial connection ever. My emotions were stretched and folded more than I expected from the Netflix feature of the week, which is its superpower, beyond the unrelenting chemistry of Jill and Wes (Nick Robinson). Crying begets laughter begets crying here.
BODE
Voicemails for Isabelle is essentially You’ve Got Mail, but with a dead sister. That’s probably not the easiest sell on paper, and credit to writer-director Leah McKendrick because she seems aware of that, to the point that it’s (amusingly) called out. That is also why she seemingly works overtime to make the tricky balance between rom-com and tearjerker work, and by God, it actually does. The expected beats effectively land, and stars Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson have the type of chemistry that really make this worth watching. Even a Benson Boone needle drop couldn’t bring it down for me. A real charmer.
