11 Movies Like ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ to Watch Next
Netflix’s Voicemails for Isabelle has captured the hearts of rom-com lovers everywhere, and we have Leah McKendrick to thank for that. It’s clear that the writer-director-actress has extensive knowledge of the genre, not only through the many references made throughout the film — from Sleepless in Seattle to Love Actually — but also through how masterfully it taps into our favorite tropes.
Voicemails also gives some of them a refreshing update. The film is most unique in how it interweaves Jill’s (Zoey Deutch) new romance with Wes (Nick Robinson) and her deep love for her sister (Ciara Bravo), who dies of complications from cystic fibrosis early on in the movie. It takes on a You’ve Got Mail-esque angle when Jill starts leaving hilarious and heartfelt voicemails for her sister. She doesn’t know that Izzy’s number was reassigned to Wes, who falls for Jill through her messages before meeting her.
If you need a chaser for Voicemails, we’ve got you. Keep scrolling for 11 movies that remind us in some way of Netflix’s latest rom-com hit, whether it features a strong sister relationship, another strong performance from Deutch or Robinson, or similar thematic beats.
Voicemails for Isabelle, Streaming Now, Netflix
Set It Up
We have to start with one of the most obvious — well, obvious to us — picks. Netflix’s Set It Up is responsible for putting Deutch on the rom-com map back in 2018, and in our eyes, it’s the only other Netflix rom-com that rivals Voicemails in terms of quality. In case you aren’t familiar, Deutch and Glen Powell play overworked assistants who set their bosses up together in am attempt to make them ease up. It’s perfection.
Where to watch: Netflix
Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepless in Seattle is one of the best rom-coms of all time, and it has clear parallels with Voicemails. Aside from the falling-in-love-via-phone-calls premise, Wes and Jill don’t actually meet until over 45 minutes into the movie. McKendrick referenced Sleepless in Seattle, in which the leads don’t meet until the end, as justification for putting off Wes and Jill’s meeting.
“We’ve got some real obstacles, but nobody questions that because it’s one of the greatest movies of all time, I think,” McKendrick told Swooon. “Now, we try to follow more of a formula, and I think it’s probably just because that’s how it’s been done most times, most successfully. But I just went, I promise you, if we are in love with Jill, and we feel for Jill, and we see him falling in love with her, we’re going to be yearning and longing, and the anticipation is building, it’s going to be that much more satisfying when he finally sits on that bench.”
Where to watch: Prime Video
Scrambled
If McKendrick’s brand of humor and sharp dialogue stood out to you in Voicemails, then a natural next step would be to watch Scrambled, which McKendrick also wrote, directed, and starred in. She plays Nellie, who’s always at weddings or baby showers or going on bad dates. She goes on a self-discovery journey when she decides to freeze her eggs.
Where to watch: Available for purchase on YouTube, Prime Video, Apple TV+
Say Yes
Though she didn’t write Say Yes, McKendrick does play one of the leads. Like Voicemails, it navigates comedy, romance, and the (impending) death of a loved one from terminal illness. McKendrick plays a dying woman who tries to set up her husband (Patrick Zeller) with her bisexual brother (Matt Pascua).
Where to watch: Tubi
The Greatest Hits
The Greatest Hits is another option that blends romance with grief, though it has more of a fantastical premise. Harriet (Lucy Boynton) discovers certain songs can transport her back in time, to when her since-deceased boyfriend (David Corenswet) was still alive. As she relives their romantic memories, she finds love with someone else (Justin H. Min) in the present.
Where to watch: Hulu
Someone Great
If the sisterly relationship endeared you to Voicemails, strong female friendships are at the center of Netflix’s Someone Great. When she’s dumped by her boyfriend (Lakeith Stanfield) of almost a decade, a music journalist (Gina Rodriguez) and her best friends have one last hurrah in New York City before she moves to a new city.
Where to watch: Netflix
You've Got Mail
Voicemails for Isabelle echoes You’ve Got Mail with its whole falling-in-love-through-technology setup, but the latter also has an enemies-to-lovers angle. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks play business rivals who fall in love over the internet. It’s a classic for a reason, and even if you have seen it before, it’s a natural follow-up to Voicemails.
Where to watch: The Roku Channel, Prime Video
Love, Simon
Voicemails is Robinson’s second outing in the rom-com genre. He got started with 2018’s Love, Simon, which also sees his character fall in love with someone without meeting them. Robinson’s Simon is a closeted gay teen, and he balances his crush on a classmate — who’s been chatting with him anonymously online — and his relationships with his friends and family. All the while, a blackmailer threatens to expose his secret. Intense as it sounds, it has a heart-warming happy ending. Don’t worry!
Where to watch: The Roku Channel, Prime Video
The Threesome
Deutch is becoming the modern day rom-com queen, as proven with her strong 2025 rom-com The Threesome. When Connor (Jonah Hauer-King) has a threesome with his crush (Deutch) and a stranger (Ruby Cruz), things get messy when both get pregnant from the hookup. Like Voicemails, it’s charming and messy, while a little more unconventionally romantic.
Where to watch: Netflix
Something from Tiffany's
Again, if more Deutch is what you’re after, we’ll point you toward Prime Video’s Something from Tiffany’s. Deutch’s character acquires an engagement ring meant for someone else, leading her to the person she’s meant to be with (Kendrick Sampson). You may want to wait until the holiday season for this one, unless you want some Christmas in July vibes. Why not?
Where to watch: Prime Video
Practical Magic
If you cheered when Jill tells Nick that she doesn’t need a man to be happy, 1998’s Practical Magic is the rom-com for you. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play the witchy Owens sisters, who navigate a family curse that keeps them from finding lasting romantic love. Naturally, the sisters’ relationship is the heart of the film, just like Voicemails.
Where to watch: YouTube
