When thinking about romantic comedies, films like Bridget Jones, Notting Hill, and The Proposal often come to mind.
What do these films share? They blend humor and romance. Typically, movies in this genre are lighthearted and provide a serotonin boost. This is precisely what viewers anticipated with Netflix’s latest release, My Oxford Year.
The movie features Queen Charlotte’s Corey Mylchreest and The Life List actress Sofia Carson.
It is adapted from a novel of the same name by Julia Whelan, which tells the story of an American (played by Carson) attending Oxford University for a year.
During her time there, she falls for her young professor (played by Mylchreest), and their romantic story unfolds.
Sounds sweet, right? However, My Oxford Year includes a major plot twist that, unless you’re familiar with the book, will catch you off guard.
Here’s a major spoiler…
Ultimately, Mylchreest’s character dies, which, as many would agree, isn’t typical for a comedy.
In response to this surprising twist, viewers have been sharing their thoughts on Twitter.
Accompanying a GIF of Margot Robbie crying, one user wrote: “When you realize the romcom you were watching is actually not a romcom #MyOxfordYear.”
“I should’ve known better when I read ‘from the producers of the fault is in our stars’ on the freaking poster,” commented another about the movie, which debuted on Netflix on August 1.
Another viewer shared: “I thought #MyOxfordYear would be a romcom but it ended up destroying me.”
“I thought I was watching another silly summer rom com WHAT HAPPENED #MyOxfordYear,” expressed another viewer in frustration.
One viewer was so affected by the film’s conclusion that it led to an ‘existential crisis’.
“My Oxford Year is the most severe case of false advertising I’ve seen since Time Cut, Netflix needs to fire the people responsible for marketing these movies,” they wrote. “I wanted to watch a cute romcom to relax and ended up with an existential crisis instead.”
Having watched the film myself, I can concur with these sentiments.
While My Oxford Year isn’t packed with laughs, there are some humorous moments that slightly offset its undeniably heartbreaking ending.
Plus, Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest are not hard on the eyes…
My Oxford Year is available for streaming on Netflix now.