June 28, 2026
Jill (Zoey Deutch) worked in the kitchen of celebrity chef Bastien (Nick Offerman) in his popular bakery Flâner in San Francisco. All she did was slice kumquats as topping of his signature tart, and this frustrated her a lot. Her closest confidante was her younger sister Isabelle "Izzy" (Ciara Bravo), who was still living back in Austin with their parents (Gil Bellows and Tanis Dolman), so they communicated via voicemails. Izzy had been afflicted with cystic fibrosis since childhood, until one day she crashed and passed away.
Wes (Nick Robinson) was a hotshot real estate agent based in Austin. One day, his new work phone began receiving Jill's voicemails to Izzy, which she continued to send to her number. Wes eventually became invested in Jill's stories, including her frustrations with men he dated, like co-worker Arthur (Lukas Gage) and podcaster Tyler (Toby Sandeson). He decided to go to San Francisco to meet Jill in person. They hit it off, but Wes never gathered the guts to confess about his phone getting her voicemails for Izzy, until it was too late.
This rom-com was written and directed by Leah McKendrick, who also appeared onscreen as Breeda, a good friend of Wes and the bride-to-be of Andy (Harry Shum Jr.). This is only the second feature film that she both wrote and directed. The plot followed the typical rom-com formula, although this time, boy already "knew" the girl long before their supposed "meet-cute" at Tyler's live streaming event. Also formulaic was its conflict of an inadvertent deception that was accidentally revealed before the secret could have been proactively confessed.
However, this one still worked very well mainly because of Zoe Deutsch, who was very likable and relatable as Jill. Audiences can easily identify with her closeness with her family, as well as the discrimination she endured at work. Her bubbly personality that was very infectious for those around her. She was unfiltered when she gave her opinions and spontaneous when she broke into dance when Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" came on. Her chemistry with Nick Robinson's Wes was effortless from their first scene together.
What Wes did was really a big red flag. Not only was he listening in to private messages meant for another person, he was also using the information to win the affection of the girl sending the message. Fresh-faced Nick Robinson played Wes with the winsome charm of a young Hugh Grant (as he displayed in that spontaneous tour bus guide gig of his). Because of this, we do feel sorry for him and we hope Jill would find it in her heart to forgive him for what he had failed to do. We wish they can get back together in the end. Will they? 7/10
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