Anglophilia is an ailment in My Oxford Year

After this, My Oxford Year (and Anna’s focus) becomes less about scribes like Edna St. Vincent Millay or Alfred Tennyson, and more about the central pair’s whirlwind romance. In fact, the tension that made their taboo tryst so enticing—the blurring boundary between educator and pupil—is subsequently all but removed from the story. Their power dynamic drastically shifts, mostly due to a shocking secret that Jamie intentionally kept from Anna and the broader Oxford community. Predictably, Anna begins to question whether returning to America and taking that high-paying job is truly the best decision for her. Not only has she fallen for Jamie, she’s become completely enamored with new friends Maggie (an unassuming girl due for a Cinderella moment played by Esmé Kingdom) and Charlie (a quippy, fashionable gay guy played by Harry Trevaldwyn) as well as the enchanting landscape of the city itself. 

While the big twist is best kept under wraps, it would be insulting to assume that competent viewers wouldn’t see it coming from a mile away. My Oxford Year certainly doesn’t shy away from employing countless tropes and clichés from the genre’s expansive history: Anna and Jamie’s meet-cute evokes Cary Grant and Doris Day’s in That Touch Of Mink; there are heavy hints of Notting Hill‘s literary setting and Anglo-American lovers; even the dramatic reveal is ripped from the pages of romance novels by John Green, Nicholas Sparks, and Erich Segal. The most rewarding aspects of the film are when it leans into a distinctly British sense of humor, no doubt aided by the involvement of director Iain Morris, whose coming-of-age sitcom The Inbetweeners served as a perfect incubator for a staunchly millennial take on that comedic tradition.

Co-writers Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne, on the other hand, make certain changes to the source material that are executed without necessary finesse. Namely, this includes the swapping the protagonist from Ella Durran to Anna De La Vega, undoubtedly updated to reflect Carson’s own heritage. While this could have served as an avenue to further prod at differences between American and English cultures (and a dire lack of Latin cuisine in the latter), the writers embrace tired stereotypes. Anna’s mother works as a cleaning woman, they communicate in stilted Spanglish, and her extended family only seems to care about Oxford in relation to its portrayal in popular media. These glances into Anna’s life back in New York are meant to be illuminating, but flatten a character that is otherwise completely independent, capable of dissecting the specifics of Henry David Thoreau and humiliating racist Englishmen in the span of a few short hours.

Cute and comedic, but with a heavy dose of Lifetime Original energy (notably, source author Whelan cut her teeth as an actress in such vehicles), My Oxford Year may not be subversive, but it is serviceable. If you fancy seeing two sexy actors whose affair is tainted by tragic events (think of the competent lensing of We Live In Time with a light touch of the black humor espoused by Nick Hornby lit), then look no further. If you find yourself able to procure a bottle of wine and desperate to identify a Sylvia Plath Easter egg, all the better. 

Director: Iain Morris
Writer: Allison Burnett, Melissa Osborne
Starring: Sofia Carson, Corey Mylchreest, Dougray Scott, Catherine McCormack
Release Date: August 1, 2025 (Netflix)