★★★☆☆ (3 / 5 stars)
Netflix’s My Oxford Year promises romance and emotional depth but delivers a predictable love story with stunning visuals. Read our honest review before you watch!
When Netflix announced the adaptation of My Oxford Year, fans of Julia Whelan’s beloved 2018 novel were buzzing with excitement. . A dreamy English setting, a charming yet heartfelt love story, and an exploration of what it means to be transformed academically and personally—what’s not to love? Unfortunately, Netflix’s version of My Oxford Year falls flat in ways that the story’s literary life brought to so many fans.
From Book to Screen: High Hopes and a Romantic Premise
Like the book, My Oxford Year is about Ella Durran, an American political savant, who has just started her Rhodes at Oxford, where gun over there looking to be accepted in an English circle, all while starting her dream job in U.S. politics. When Ella meets Jamie Davenport, things immediately change. Jamie is a witty and comical English Professor at Oxford and their bond is immediate but also mysterious, as Ella soon discovers Jamie has complications; a heart-breaking dilemma that asks Ella to re-evaluate everything she thought she had wanted.
The book stayed with readers for its balance of humorous banter against sheer emotional weight, as well as its themes of youthfulness and growth. Of course, fans hoped to be whisked away by the same cinematic flair. Unfortunately, the film is shot for shot the opening premise of the book but ultimately lacks the emotional interactions or the character build up that made the literary experience so impactful.
What Works: A Beautiful Oxford and Likeable Characters
Visually, My Oxford Year is stunning. It romanticizes the cobblestone streets, ivy-covered buildings, and candlelit libraries of Oxford to such a degree, you want to pack your bags and enroll. Cinematographer Jane Goodall (not the primatologist!) deserves credit with a warm, ethereal image that captures the essence of young, transformative love and romance.
Ella, played by The Kissing Booth’s Joey King, gives a good performance as a talented, ambitious, and emotionally vulnerable young woman at a turning point in her life. Jamie (Nicholas Galitzine, Red, White & Royal Blue) brings his own British charm to the role, but his emotional story arc feels more rushed than revelatory.
Their chemistry feels real if nowhere near earth-shattering. Their flirtatious banter creates levity around the important themes of the story and helps carry the film through some formulaic narrative beats.
Where It Misses: Predictability and Disconnection
While the novel spent significant time establishing emotional complexity, Netflix My Oxford Year feels like it fast-forwards through every crucial moment. Ella’s conflict between love and duty feels like she has it merely because it is a part of the plot. Ella learns about Jamie’s deep secret near one of the novel’s most dramatic turns, but there isn’t the requisite tension needed to lead a viewer to possible investment in the couple’s outcome.
Regardless, the movie’s biggest letdown is its predictability. The romantic drama genre often relies too much on familiar romantic tropes but My Oxford Year does not really offer anything new or even subversive. Many of the twists can be seen from the entrance of the train station, and they also lessen the emotional heft of its scenes of emotion where we could actually feel.
Fans of the book are probably also somewhat disappointed with changes made in the adaptation. The dimension of loss and ambition and identity that Whelan so expertly detailed points at are reduced to a bullet-point checklist of book convention. meet-cute, make-out session, tragic reveal, tearful goodbye. All of the attention to nuance is gone for a more palatable and made-for-streaming experience.
Soundtrack and Score: A Mixed Bag
The sound track is a collection of fairly soft indie ballads mixed with a few orchestral cues which tries to solidify Ella & Jamie’s whirlwind romance, and while it typically works to draw viewers is, does not leave a lot of space to breathe. Unlike many of Netflix’s hits, including To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, where the music feels like a character within itself, here the score is more like background filler and less like an apparatus for emotional resonance.
The Verdict: Watchable, But Not Memorable
Netflix’s My Oxford Year is an attractive, glossy, and easy-to-digest romance drama that ultimately lacks emotional heft. It is not difficult to imagine someone tossing it on to enjoy with a cup of tea and blanket for a rainy Saturday afternoon, but don’t expect it will stay with you.
If you enjoy light romance with picturesque settings (similar to Emily in Paris x Me Before You), then you will likely enjoy the film as it simply is what it is. However, if you were looking for a more deeply felt romantic drama with a lasting effect, this may not be brilliant.
Final Review Score:★★★☆☆ (3 / 5 stars)
Pros:
Absolutely stunning visuals of Oxford
Lead actors with very likable performances
A light, feel-good tone
Cons:
Predictable plot
Lacks emotional depth
Doesn’t capture the nuance of the original novel
Final Thoughts
My Oxford Year had all the right ingredients to be a fully formed romantic drama: location with visual impact, bittersweet love story lines, and strong source material to work from. But while Netflix’s adaptation hit a few high notes, it ultimately chose a predictable and traditional form in the process. Charming but immediately forgettable – a beautiful postcard but with no personal message.
FAQs
1. Is My Oxford Year based on a true story?
My Oxford Year is a fictional story based on Julia Whelan’s (2018) novel. The movie draws on actual academic places and feelings, but none of its characters or events are based on true events.
2.Is My Oxford Year worth watching on Netflix?
It really depends on the viewer’s taste. If you like light romantic dramas set in scenic places with likeable storybook characters, then this might be a decent watch. However, if you are expecting an emotional ride or some kind of unique story, then this may fall flat.