My Oxford Year. Sofia Carson as Anna in My Oxford Year. Cr. Chris Baker/Netflix ©2024
From Temple Hill & Netflix, My Oxford Year is the latest Sofia Carson vehicle for the streamer, her 6th film in the last 5 years and her 2nd of 2025 after The Life List arrived in late March.
Carson first starred in the dance competition dramedy Feel The Beat in 2020 before voicing a brave pony in My Little Pony: A New Generation in 2021. She broke out in the wildly popular military-centric drama Purple Hearts in 2022 and followed it up with a supporting performance opposite Taron Egerton in the airport crime thriller Carry-On in late 2024.
Seeking a 3rd consecutive successful Netflix drama, Carson returns to Netflix as star & executive producer of this Julia Whelan novel adaptation, a dual role she also had on Purple Hearts.
Set mostly in and around the hallowed grounds of the prestigious British intellectual landmark Oxford University, Carson plays Anna de la Vega, an ambitious American student fulfilling a childhood dream by studying poetry abroad at the school before starting her career at the legendary financial institution Goldman Sachs (as one does, apparently).
Before arriving, Anna had her whole life mapped out – College, Oxford, Goldman, but almost immediately, she meets a charming & clever local man, Jamie Davenport, played by Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story actor Corey Mylchreest. While their first encounter starts rather adversarial, Anna soon discovers that Jamie will be in her life much more than anticipated, leading her poetry class as a newly designated grad assistant to the professor.
As she adjusts to Oxford and the surrounding areas – including some unsavory pub confrontations with local Englishmen- Anna continues to run into Jamie more and more. As their relationship evolves, the pair spends Anna’s limited time across the pond, drastically altering each other’s lives.
While many loyal Netflix fans have enjoyed Carson’s dramas over the past few years to the tune of record viewing numbers, my experience has not been as joyful.
In my first review ever for this site, I covered Purple Hearts, citing Carson’s performance as sacrificing range & emotional depth for being more angry & dour. With my review of The Life List, I remarked that her portrayal as Alex had more of the same issues from her previous dramatic lead performances and may have hit a ceiling as the focal point of a film. I wanted to see Carson be the emotional center of a dramatic film that works and, to this point, I hadn’t seen it.
While this review of My Oxford Year will not be a complete rave, the film definitely succeeds more than Purple Hearts & The Life List with Carson having more restraint, more complexity, & a tad more (enjoyable) personality than her previous Netflix dramas.
While it absolutely helps to have a better script from Autumn in New York scribe Allison Burnett & My Fault: London’s Melissa Osborne, the best elements of the film lie with the chemistry of its leads, Carson & Mylchreest, and the charm of its supporting cast including Harry Trevaldwyn as her vibrant neighbor Charlie, Esmè Kingdom as her new friend Maggie, & Nikhil Parmar as her bike salesman/quirky pal Tom. Anna’s student friendship group reminded me of a quirkier, joyful version of Bridget Jones’ friends early in that franchise.
My Oxford Year. (L to R) Corey Mylchreest as Jamie and Sofia Carson as Anna in My Oxford Year. Cr. Chris Baker/Netflix ©2024
Furthermore, the pairing of Carson & Mylchreest helps the film survive a massive tone shift/plot emphasis halfway through the story and lets the audience forget how much Anna’s financial career goals, monetary values, & family life elements don’t register or resonate with anything related to the main plot or her core relationships.
My biggest takeaway from the film, however, is not Carson-related at all: Corey Mylchreest can be a star/leading man. Being my first impression of him, I was surprised by how captivating, handsome, & charismatic he can be. He brings out the best in Carson as well, bouncing off his seemingly natural relatability & emotional vulnerability to give more of herself in those areas than in more guarded, brash, & self-important past performances.
Overall, My Oxford Year combines all the best Anglophile desires with a believable romantic pairing & delightfully eccentric supporting cast around them. While there are lesser plot strands that don’t materialize & some old habits from Carson that I wish would fall off her repertoire, it’s clearly the most watchable of Carson’s romantic dramas and should do well with her reliable core audience. Come for Carson, but stay for Mylchreest.
Watch My Oxford Year If You Like
- A Walk To Remember
- Love Story
- The Life List
- Purple Hearts
MVP of Purple Hearts
Corey Mylchreest as Jamie Davenport
Though he’s already started his breakout with his role in “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”, Mylchreest is poised for a more prominent role in his future with his performance in My Oxford Year. He handles romantic love interest & complicated drama with ease bringing along the audience through the rollercoaster of Anna & Jamie.
His upcoming supporting turn in the Netflix series Hostage may have to be a must-watch to see what else he has to add to his apparent range.
Carson’s best Netflix romantic drama gives her a better cast, better backdrop, & better script than her last 2 leading role films.
