10 Tearjerker Rom-Coms to Watch If ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ Left You Wanting More

‘Voicemails for Isabelle‘ shot straight to Netflix’s most-watched movie spot in 73 countries within a single day of its release, trending in 93 countries and claiming the top film position in the United States. Critics and audiences alike have praised the film for being about how to keep moving forward after loss, making it more uplifting than it had any right to be.

The film’s appeal comes from its balancing act, one minute delivering chaotic humor and the next confronting the raw grief of losing a beloved sister, a blend of humour and heartbreak that has become increasingly popular among modern audiences. If you have already finished the film and the emotional hangover is still setting in, these ten romantic comedies share its DNA in the best possible ways.

‘You’ve Got Mail’ (1998)

‘You’ve Got Mail’ is such an undeniable influence on ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ that it literally gets name-dropped in the script. Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film tells the story of two people in an online romance who are unaware they are also business rivals in New York City’s Upper West Side.

Few films share the same DNA with ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ more closely than ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ which explores emotional intimacy built through conversations rather than physical proximity, proving that technology has been creating romantic complications long before smartphones arrived. The film grossed $250.8 million worldwide and remains Nora Ephron’s highest-grossing film.

‘P.S. I Love You’ (2007)

‘P.S. I Love You’ is a romantic comedy-drama film directed by Richard LaGravenese, starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern. After Gerry dies from a brain tumor, his wife Holly begins receiving a series of letters he prepared before his death, each containing instructions and challenges designed to help her through her grief and nudge her toward a new life.

The romantic comedy-drama film captures the essence of ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ by focusing on the healing power of love, with both films exploring how communication can continue to shape lives even after someone is gone. Despite mixed critical reception, the film was a considerable box office success, grossing $156.8 million worldwide against a $30 million budget.

‘Love Again’ (2023)

‘Love Again’ is perhaps the closest companion piece to ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ on this list, following Mira, a young woman trying to move past the pain of her fiancé’s death by sending texts to his old cell phone number, eventually forming a connection with Rob, the man to whom the number has been reassigned.

The film stars Priyanka Chopra, Sam Heughan, and Celine Dion in her first feature film appearance, in which she plays a fictionalized version of herself. While critics were divided on the film, audiences responded warmly, with over 250 viewers awarding it a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘Sleepless in Seattle’ (1993)

‘Sleepless in Seattle’ is a 1993 romantic comedy directed by Nora Ephron, following a journalist who becomes enamored with a widowed architect after his young son calls in to a radio program requesting a new partner for his grieving father. The film received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song, and grossed over $227 million worldwide against a $21 million budget.

Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the story of a recently widowed man and the stranger drawn to his radio confession mirrors the emotional pull of ‘Voicemails for Isabelle,’ with both films exploring tales of grief, missed connections, and the unexpected people who help us find our way back to love. Rotten Tomatoes’ critical consensus describes it as a cute classic with a very light touch and real chemistry between the two leads, even when spending an entire movie apart.

‘Set It Up’ (2018)

‘Set It Up’ is the ultimate modern feel-good comfort movie that successfully proves that when a romantic comedy is backed by a brilliant screenplay and unmatched lead chemistry, it can be just as satisfying, clever, and endlessly rewatchable as the classics.

The film follows two overworked New York City assistants, Harper and Charlie, played by Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, who hatch a plan to trick their demanding bosses into falling for each other so they can reclaim their personal lives, only to develop feelings for each other along the way. Fans of Jill in ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ will find Deutch just as effortlessly magnetic here, bringing the same sharp wit and emotional warmth that has cemented her as a modern queen of the genre.

‘Love, Rosie’ (2014)

‘Love, Rosie’ follows two lifelong friends whose timing is perpetually off, delivering the same bittersweet feeling that makes ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ so emotionally effective. The film thrives on the tension between what is said and what is left unspoken, a tension that fans of Jill’s voicemail confessions will recognize immediately.

While ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ is about the processing of grief and the healing power of love, ‘Love, Rosie’ is a commentary on the transcendental nature of romance and the sacrifices people make in the journey as fate plays its hand. Both films understand that love stories are rarely about perfect timing, and that is precisely what makes them so hard to shake.

‘Letters to Juliet’ (2010)

In ‘Letters to Juliet,’ Sophie discovers a decades-old letter written to Juliet while visiting Verona, and her response inspires a journey to reunite lost lovers while opening new doors in her own life, demonstrating how messages can travel across time and profoundly affect strangers.

Like ‘Voicemails for Isabelle,’ the story is warm, hopeful, and wonderfully romantic, built on the belief that words directed at one person can unexpectedly change someone else’s life entirely. It is a film that treats letters with the same reverence ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ gives to voicemails, as messy, confessional, and irreplaceable acts of connection.

‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ (2018)

‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ is one of the most charming romantic comedies on Netflix, directed by Susan Johnson and centering around Lara Jean Covey, a high school junior played by Lana Condor, who deals with her crushes by writing deeply emotional private letters that were never meant to be sent.

When those letters are accidentally mailed out, her carefully guarded inner world is suddenly exposed to the people she loves most, triggering a romantic spiral that feels both painfully relatable and thoroughly delightful. Like ‘Voicemails for Isabelle,’ the story turns private, confessional communication into the unlikely engine of a love story.

‘Before Sunrise’ (1995)

Two strangers spend a single night sharing fears, regrets, and hopes in ‘Before Sunrise,’ a film that thrives on honest conversations between people searching for connection, much like the voicemail confessions at the heart of ‘Voicemails for Isabelle.’

Jesse and Céline meet on a train and decide to spend one unforgettable night together wandering through Vienna, with their emotional honesty and intellectual curiosity making the romance feel entirely real. Director Richard Linklater built one of cinema’s most enduring love stories almost entirely out of dialogue, proving that what people say to each other matters far more than grand gestures.

‘Serendipity’ (2001)

In ‘Serendipity,’ Jonathan and Sara, played by John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, form an unlikely spark during the rush of Christmas shopping, and their unexpected meeting turns into a years-long twist of fate as both search for signs that the universe wants them together.

Before social media and dating apps complicated everyone’s lives, ‘Serendipity’ showed how two strangers could develop a connection from afar, and the emotional sincerity of that premise remains remarkably effective decades later. If Wes and Jill’s against-all-odds connection made your heart ache in the best possible way, this one is required viewing. Which of these romantic comedies are you adding to your watchlist after finishing ‘Voicemails for Isabelle,’ and is there another grief-meets-romance story you think belongs on this list?