2025 Netflix
Rated: PG-13
Length: 1 hr 52min
Comedy ~ Drama ~ Romance
Directed by: Iain Morris
Starring: Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest.
One Year Can Change Everything
The Book:
Synopsis:
American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.
When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.
Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.
The Movie:
A few things I want to mention first about the movie, the book and why I chose to watch it. I have not read the book and just like The Life List, I didn’t know it was based on a book until I did research for the review. I do question a few things that are different from the book, like Anna is Ella in the book and an American, and she is of Hispanic descent in the movie……Anna De La Vega. She is also slated to become involved in politics in the book, yet in the movie she is going to become an analyst for Goldman Sachs. They also changed the end of the movie to be different from the book, although I won’t tell you how so as not to spoil it. I don’t understand why Hollywood feels the need to change things around, so I did a little digging.
Sofia Carson wanted to change Ella’s name and ancestry to reflect her Hispanic heritage. Ok, I like Sofia Carson, loved her in The Life List but why do we feel the need to change the story based on the actress, why not get an actress to portray the character in the book. Nothing against Sofia, I liked her in this, I just don’t get why if we’re bringing a book to life that we don’t just follow the book and bring it to life like it is written. Ok, I’ll move on……….I’m sure you get the point. Anyway they changed the ending because they felt that that the book ending wasn’t powerful enough emotionally as it came about on the screen. They actually tried several different endings with different test audiences and picked the one that seemed to resonate the most with the audience.
I wanted to watch this because it is a new Netflix Film and Sofia Carson was really good in The Life List, so I had to give it a go. Obviously the expectations were high because I feel like The Life List is such a good movie. I was not disappointed, My Oxford Year is exactly what you think it is, a Love Story, a Romantic Comedy and yet a serious look at life and how life can throw all your best laid plans right out the window in the blink of an eye. It’s about living every moment of every day as if it were your last no matter what life throws at you. Anna was forced to make some very serious decisions about the course of her life that was nowhere near her well laid plans. And we watched her grow because of the choices she made.
I thought it was good, I thought Sofia again did a great job with her character. I also really liked Corey Mylchreest as Jamie Davenport, I thought he did a really great job. Poppy Gilbert as Cecelia did a great job as well, I really liked her. It was sad but yet just like life it was heartwarming as well. We all do the best we can do with what we are given to work with, they don’t give us a manual. I think My Oxford Year did a great job of portraying that side of life and how we have to adjust, deal and move forward no matter what. It is a good Romantic Comedy with a bittersweet slice of reality. Sofia as Anna chose to take the lemons and make lemonade, make some memories she would remember, and would change her life forever. Live life to the fullest. Give it a go.
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