Surprised by the Movie SURPRISED BY OXFORD

Carolyn (Caro) Weber’s very personal memoir, Surprised by Oxford, is one of my favorite books. I have read it at least twice, I’ve discussed in the book club I attend, and I’ve given it to members of my family.

Imagine my delight when I noted the book had been made into a movie (2023) and was available on Hoopla at my cottage area library. While eager to watch the movie, I did wondered if I would be disappointed by the changes made during the screen writing *I remember poignantly how disappointed I was at the mess Hollywood had made of another one of my favorite books — R. H. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers).

Although some changes were made, the essence of the story was captured in the abbreviated version of the screen play. In my view, the cinematography depicting Oxford and the English country side is excellent and the dry humor of the erudite students and staff shines through. Caro’s transformation from a sometimes angry skeptic to a seeker after the secret longing that inhabits all of us, was catalyzed as much by the skeptical and arrogant attitudes of some of the students and staff as by the surprising humility and search after truth found in others.

In my view, the movie, like the book, is worthy of five stars.

There were a few changes made in the screen play. As one learns from the book, Weber was a Canadian grew up in London, Ontario. In the movie, although not stated explicitly, she was portrayed as American (for example her father was supposedly accused of a felony). In the book she attended Oriel College in Oxford, while the college listed in the movie was Tyrian (which I presume is a fictitious college name). None of these mar the story. If you are interested in an unconventional love story with a lot of thoughtful content, I suggest you check it out.