My Oxford Year

A fitting addition to these 'woman finds herself in Europe' movies. Bad in good ways. Amazing how small a world it is that the same 4 people constantly run into each other. Predictable but in a comforting way. Dad bod alert. Not exactly an accurate portrayal of dying and disease. But still oddly warm and stock photo pretty.

My Oxford Year desperately wants to be a Love Story for the 21st century, presumably with the object of leaving its audience sobbing uncontrollably. Unfortunately, the plotting is so obviously contrived and predictable that it's unlikely to achieve that goal with any but the most susceptible viewer. The best it manages to be is Emily In Paris: The Movie. Sofia Carson as Anna looks a bit like Lily Collins, but doesn't have anywhere near as much charisma or charm. Or the ability to make ridiculous outfits seem chic, or at least fun. We fare better with Corey Mylchreest, who brings a Montgomery Clift-like vibe to Jamie, and easily steals the movie. Despite being the healthiest looking cancer sufferer in the history of cinema. Dougray Scott deserves special mention for going above and beyond to bring some real emotional depth as Jamie's father. Great locations and an excellent supporting cast just about make it worth enduring the endless cliches. But you'll probably suss that out within the first ten minutes.

She ruins the film. She can't act. Poor Corey tried his best, but they have no chemistry at all. I really enjoyed the book and loved Corey in Charlotte. I had high hopes. Too bad.

It also comes across way more vapid on film than in the book, and I wish this had been produced by someone else. Look at One Day for inspiration.

When i saw Sofia Carson as the lead, my hope for a better acted romantic movie went out of the window because that girl can't act to save a movie with her acting. But still the romantic in me gave the movie benefit of the doubts that maybe she's improved and maybe her and Corey have pulled off a lovely romantic movie.

That didn't happen.

My Oxford Year started off with Anna, daughter of an immigrant, struggling with money and a feminist who loves to read going to Oxford for a gap year to study poetry. A very typical Sofia Carson role. And to make u believe she loves to read, she's carrying a book.

But what threw me off from the very beginning of the movie, the artificial facial expressions of her. Each and every expression so strategically cultivated, it was very painful to watch, especially when u see the supporting characters being so lively and animated and expressive.

And lord !!! When she talks !!! I can't bear her 24*7 seductive husky monotonous dialogue delivery with all teeth on display and no closing of mouth. Not a hair out of place, cheeks always shining, she's always alert and posing, and the fakeness is so apparant!!! She's a beautiful lady but the worst actress to be in a romantic movie !!!

Then there's Corey who was trying to be Will from Me Before You and over acted most parts due to horrible dialogues and screenplay.

So Anna is in Oxford, and immediately starts a fun relationship with her teacher's assistant, who is her teacher by proxy, Jamie. In the beginning, her narrative was how passionate she was about this opportunity to study in Oxford, but within few minutes u see her nothing but being horny and boning her teacher.

Also the non existent chemistry between Sofia and Corey didn't even make those scenes sexy. It was so sterile. Just two beautiful looking puppets going through motions.

Interestingly, no one batted an eye bout this relationship when in reality it is forbidden to for a teacher to have any relationship with a direct student. Don't know which fantasyland they r actually living on !!!

Later in the movie we learn Jamie is battling cancer and to be honest Corey looked anything but a cancer patient. Even when he was supposed to look sick, he looked healthy as horse. Many condemned the fact about him being immature refusing further treatment and just live his life.

Now here, with some rational tweaks, they could have executed it much better. Because there r two sides in this equation, the parents trying everything to save their child and the said child not wanting to go through the grueling procedures and miss the life because it's not guaranteed that the treatment would work. If this was presented with more sensitively, it wouldn't have looked like a mess because both were right from their POVs. And then u get an ending of Anna doing things her and Jamie planned, traveling the places they discussed and taping herself. Again, this movie could have been better with a better actress other than Sofia, some better dialogues and logic.

Jamie's father was the only actor who understood the assignment that he was in an emotional movie because his pain was so evident in every scene and when he was talking about losing his child and Sofia looking at him seductivly !!!! Arghhhhhh !!!!

My 2⭐ r for the dad and the supporting actors because they were the only good things in that movie.

Let's play Romcom cliché Bingo:

• Sofia Carson is some kind of poor but superpretty A-type underdog (as in all her movies). Check!

• Main character has one gay and one quirky bestie. Check!

• Main characters are (at least somewhat) enemies to lovers. Check!

• Getting stuck in the rain leads to a kiss
• The cringey karaoke song that's supposed to be "a bit wild but still fun and cute". Check!

• The tragical twist (won't spoil what). Check!

• The whimsical setting that is Oxford. Check!

• The dancing with other people in order to make the person you like jelly. Check!

• The grand romantic geture(s) with first editions of books etc. Check!

The list goes on and on and I find myself wondering whilst watching if even ONE single scene is original. The answer is a clear NOPE!

Did I still watch it until the very end, enjoying it and wondering if they'd get their happy end?

You bet your cute butt I did! ;)