Voicemails for Isabelle (2026) Netflix Review

Movie Review: Voicemails for Isabel

Mistaken identities or creepy voyeuristic behavior? Maybe a little of both or none of the above, but rest assured that Netflix’s newest rom-com, Voicemails for Isabel, is cute and sweet with a tiny dash of strife to keep it somewhat interesting.

Jill copes with her sister’s death by leaving her voicemails chronicling her chaotic life in San Francisco. When the number is unknowingly reassigned, an elusive Austin real estate agent begins receiving the deeply personal, confessional messages.

The Cast and the Meet-Cute

We’ve got Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Nick Offerman, and Lukas Gage for this baking-meets-missed-call love connection. Deutch is adorable as ever, using her captivating smile and quick wit to endear and make us laugh. She’s fumbling at times and even awkward, but not ditzy. Have you ever seen Zombieland: Double Tap*? Definitely give that a watch because Deutch is a scene-stealer with her character. But for this, she’s convincing as the struggling, fish-out-of-water baker who has moved from Texas to San Francisco. The flustered portrayal, along with her natural charisma, makes the character instantly likable and somebody that we want to cheer for.

Like with almost all rom-coms, this features a convenient and unsubtle meet-cute that has Nick Robinson receiving the voicemails that Deutch’s character is leaving for her dead sister because he’s gotten a phone that the number was reassigned to. Then, after listening to many, many of the phone calls—all of which are intimate and personal—Robinson begins to form this crush on a woman he’s never seen, met, or even spoken to.

It’s kind of creepy, especially because he continues to listen even after he knows that the sister is dead. But then we wouldn’t have the conflict for later in the plot that’s certain to come, ensuring there are just enough complications to create friction that makes the eventual reuniting so much more special.

A Predictable Playbook

The trajectory for this entire story is note-for-note right out of the rom-com playbook. And because I am a sucker for these—especially when they’re thoughtful, funny, and/or heartfelt—this became an easy watch. But just because it was an easy watch doesn’t mean that it had a unique or fresh vibe to the presentation.

Beat for beat, this story plays out exactly as you’d expect. We get the background on Deutch and her sister, showcasing how powerful and meaningful that relationship was, which then gives the rationale for the continued voicemail connections long after the sister has passed. Then, we see the character struggling in her life as she attempts to move forward without her biggest cheerleader, meeting some quirky, abrasive, or sometimes fun characters along the way.

Meanwhile, we watch Robinson’s character struggle with his own happiness as he daydreams about the person whose voice he’s listening to, despite knowing the monster-sized invasion of privacy that he’s committing. All he needed to do was create a voicemail intro, and the next time Deutch called, she’d know it wasn’t her sister’s number anymore and not to leave any further personal conversations. But we can’t have that. So, the progression allows for Robinson to conveniently make his way to San Francisco and then, by happenstance, run into Deutch and begin an acquaintance. What then follows are the requisite outings and conversations that quickly build a closeness between the duo, so their coupling is all but certain.

I don’t say any of this as a negative against the story. It works simply because this is a fairy-tale type of meetup that should end with a fairy-tale sort of ending and not the one where the stepmother turns into some sort of hideous beast who’s intent on devouring everything around her in the attempt to keep the princess from her throne. We want the couple to make it, and we get a version of that.

Pacing and Wasted Potential

This also isn’t without some cringier elements that don’t work as well as I think the story believes they do. Nick Offerman, I think he’s wasted in this. He’s a pompous baker, which he pulls off expertly, but his interactions are brief and just condescending. He’s the villain for a tiny part of this. Really though, I think Robinson is more of the villain for a lot of this because of his deception and the withholding of the truth about the voicemails.

But back to Offerman he doesn’t add any depth or meaning to the story, which is just like Lukas Gage’s character. There’s probably some offshoot storyline that revolves around both Offerman and Gage and their ridiculous mustaches, but they’re only annoyances within Deutch’s life that add to her stress and strife but don’t help to progress the story ahead in positive ways.

This is also too long for what we get. The movie is just short of two hours, and it doesn’t need to be just to capture the humor and heart that’s already present. The voicemails are important and necessary because they’re the entire impetus for the movie, and they provide all of the necessary character-building for Deutch. But there is also fluff and unnecessary focus on elements that don’t make the plot stronger. Had the story spent less time with Offerman and Gage, the pacing would be tighter and more concise, getting us to the interactions between Deutch and Robinson more efficiently, which is why we’re watching the thing in the first place.

Final Verdict

When they’re on screen together, they click and they work. Their timing and banter come across as naturally sweet, creating this bond that’s believable and something we want to see succeed—again, despite the creepy eavesdropping. Zoey Deutch is outstanding, crafting a vulnerable and longing persona who’s witty, driven, and sweeter than any of the desserts that she dreams up. Nick Robinson is charismatic and charming with a boy-next-door smile. Even though the character should immediately come clean about the voicemails, he still maintains an endearing personality that keeps him from becoming the hated character.

With obvious trajectories and safe storytelling, this isn’t going to be the rom-com you race back to watch over and over again, but it does have enough heart to keep you entertained, even if you forget you saw it right after it’s over.

Rating: I give Voicemails for Isabel 3 out of 5 couches.

Now, if you’re a fan of obscure movie references and quotes, you’re going to get a kick out of listening to Deutch’s monologues to her sister. They’re filled with some gems.

Okay, so our morality question here: If you were in the same situation and were receiving voicemails that were intended for somebody else, would you continue to listen to them, or would you let the sender know that they’re not going to the intended recipient? Let me know in the comments below!