Following in the footsteps of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth and The Perfect Find, My Oxford Year is a book adaptation that hits all the romcom beats but falls flat for one reason – all of the changes, including the ending, mean it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.
My Oxford Year tells the story of Anna de la Vega (Sofia Carson), a college graduate who takes a year in Oxford to study for a Victorian poetry masters degree before beginning a full time job as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs.
It may not be her dream job but it’s a solid plan – until she meets Jamie Davenport, who teaches her that poetry is to be lived, not just read.
As a book fan and a film fan, it’s always hard to know whether to review an adaptation on its own merits, but sometimes a book leaves such a mark that you can’t help but compare it to the original.
SPOILERS FOR MY OXFORD YEAR
Based on Julia Whelan’s 2018 book of the same name, there are some huge differences that make sense for a two-hour movie adaptation; namely that the B-plot of Ella’s dream job in politics in DC becomes a stable job in finance.
Yet changing so many of the core tenets of who Anna is (FYI: she’s Ella from Ohio in the books) because of a runtime has removed several of the emotional beats of the book that would have grounded the film deeper in its heartache and hope.
© Chris Baker/NetflixIn the book, we discover early on that Anna is grieving the loss of her father and has a complicated relationship with her mother, and this arc gives a later reveal that Jamie has an incurable cancer even more emotional depth.
This backstory for Anna has been completely erased for the film, and so when this key development takes place Anna’s ability to connect with Jamie, and his father, feels weaker for it.
So too does her decision to stay in Oxford, because the tug of war she felt between her dream job in DC and love is no longer there.
My Oxford Year ending
The book ends with Jamie gaining more time after a medical trial allows him to travel through Europe with Anna.
In a surprising turn of events – perhaps to give the film more gravitas? –the film ends with a montage of Anna and Jamie adventuring through Europe, before it cuts to Anna at his bedside as he passes, and the montage replays with Jamie faded from the images.
© Chris Baker/NetflixMy Oxford Year cast
What My Oxford Year does have going for it though, is Sofia Carson and English newcomer Corey Mylchreest.
Sofia, a Netflix darling, brings Anna to life as the wide-eyed American living her best Oxford life and finding joy in all of the small things. (I can’t wait to find out how many people google “What is a kebab?”)
Part cad and part sad boi with a painful secret, Jamie is cleverly brought to life by Corey through small choices; I loved how in the early scenes he rarely keeps direct eye contact with Anna, suggesting the defensive wall up against the direct American who is always training her eyes on him.
© Chris Baker/NetflixAnd no film can ever lose with the stunning Oxford skyline as its background with beautiful shots here from cinematographer Remi Adefarasin of the Bodleian Library, the colleges, and the Gothic Revival architecture.
If you’re looking for the perfect movie for girl’s night get your tissues, candy of choice, and a big blanket ready – and have your phone charged as you may find yourself googling “How to apply to Oxford”.
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