The Love Hypothesis: Movie Review

People have been waiting for this movie. There are so many layers to the lore surrounding this book, the story behind it, and even the casting of the movie. If you're not already familiar with everything happening on BookTok and within the various fandoms, it can be a real head-scratcher to keep up with it all.

Most people know that The Love Hypothesis movie is an adaptation of the book of the same name. What some people don't know is that the book by Ali Hazelwood was originally published online as fanfiction. What even fewer people know is that the fanfiction in question was actually Star Wars fanfiction, specifically centred around the "Reylo" ship between the characters Rey and Kylo Ren. What even fewer people know is that the actor playing the main male character in the film, Tom Bateman, is married to Daisy Ridley, the actress behind Rey in the Star Wars movies, and none other than the inspiration for the book's lead female character. Talk about things coming full circle for Tom Bateman.

Alongside him, we have the charming Lili Reinhart playing Olive Smith, our protagonist. While she's best known for the role that brought her to fame, Betty Cooper in Riverdale, Lili Reinhart has always been a fantastic actress. We've seen her shine in movies such as Chemical Hearts, Hustlers, and Look Both Ways, so it's really pleasing to see her continuing to get consistent work in Hollywood. In The Love Hypothesis, she's as magnetic as ever, bringing warmth, charisma and humanity to Olive's character and making us, the viewer, care for her from the very beginning.

The premise of the movie is simple, built around one of the most beloved romance tropes: fake dating. Olive Smith is a biology student and PhD candidate at Stanford University who doesn't believe in love or romance. Her best friend, Anh, develops feelings for their friend Jeremy, who Olive used to like and briefly dated. Out of loyalty to Olive, Anh refuses to pursue anything with Jeremy, even after Olive insists that she should and assures her that she's no longer interested in him. In an attempt to convince Anh that she's completely moved on from Jeremy, Olive impulsively grabs and kisses the first man she happens to stumble upon. That man just so happens to be Dr. Adam Carlsen, the brilliant but notoriously strict and intimidating professor.

Much to her surprise, Adam makes Olive an offer: he will pretend to be her boyfriend, allowing both of them to get something out of the arrangement. Olive can convince Anh that she's genuinely moved on from Jeremy, giving her the freedom to pursue a relationship with him, while Adam can appear more settled at the university, something he needs in order to secure vital funding for his research. Thus, the fake dating begins.

Under the scrutinising eyes of the entire university, Olive and Adam establish a set of rules and boundaries for their "relationship". However, as time goes on, genuine attraction begins to develop, while pressure from their peers and conflicts in their personal lives put their arrangement to the test, gradually blurring the line between what is real and what is simply part of the performance.

The Love Hypothesis is a cosy, heartwarming film that also tackles some important and weighty issues, including the sexism women face in STEM and the sexual harassment that can occur in the workplace, particularly at the hands of colleagues in positions of seniority. It's a movie that won't just lift your spirits and satisfy your hopeless romantic heart, but will also remind you that beneath all the romance and feel-good moments, there are very real issues being explored.

And if you've already seen the movie and loved it, there's some great news: a sequel has already been greenlit! The follow-up book by Ali Hazelwood, The Two-Body Problem, is set to hit bookstores in February next year. We don't have a release date for the movie just yet, but we can probably expect it to arrive sometime in 2028. And yes, Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman will both be back to reprise their roles, so there's plenty to look forward to in the sequel.