Voicemails for Isabelle

[Ibleedbrown]

This was a recent date night flick l watched with my gal. Yes, it’s pretty much a chick flick, but it’s a chick flick with a twist, and it’s on Netflix.

The main character is Jill, played by Zoey Deutch, and she has a sister named Isabelle who is Jill’s best friend and most favorite person in the world. The first 15 minutes of the movie does a helluva job showing how close they are and how strong their bond is as they were growing up together.

Isabelle has cystic fibrosis and is mostly bedridden, so she largely lives her life vicariously through Jill. In the meantime, Jill is out in the world trying her level best to date guys and carve out a career as a pastry chef, in part so she can have fun stories to tell Isabelle. Since Isabelle didn’t get out much, their mutual happy place was the kitchen where they fancied themselves as mad scientists trying to create the next culinary big thing.

And after the first 15 minutes of the film, Isabelle kicks it, and Jill spends the next several months trying to trudge forward with life while mourning, and she keeps calling Isabelle’s phone and leaving long winded heartfelt and sometimes funny voicemails on Isabelle’s old number.

And of course she doesn’t realize that Isabelle’s old number is now the new number for Wes, a young high powered real estate sales guy, played by Nick Robinson.

At one point the flick totally makes fun of itself for being a reboot of “You’ve Got Mail.”

The film is quirky and funny at times, but it has big feels moments too. At first you’re not totally sure if this Wes guy is a good guy or a douchebag.

It’s less of a traditional love story and more a story about the bond between two siblings. But there is a love story in there, and it’s really well done.

I was impressed. It’s an atypical trajectory for a chick flick, but it also had plenty of the hallmarks of a good chick flick. I give it a solid A.