BookTok’s OG read has just hit the big screen! The Love Hypothesis was recently released on Prime Video on September 23, so I’m here to catch you up on EVERYTHING — including why this movie might just become an iconic rom-com of the 2020s.
The Movie Itself
The Love Hypothesis (written by Ali Hazelwood) follows Olive Smith (played by Lili Reinhart), a third-year biology PHD candidate at Stanford University and Dr. Adam Carlsen (played by Tom Bateman), a professor at the university. They find themselves in a complicated fake relationship in order to convince Olive’s best friend Anh that Olive has moved on from Jeremy, whom Olive had previously gone on a date with.
Adam agrees to the ludicrous plan because he’s attempting to gain funding from the university for his research project, and having a girlfriend would make him seem less of a “flight risk.” Adam is a grumpy and serious doctor that all of the students are afraid of, while Olive is a bubbly sweetheart. They do say that opposites attract after all, even if the attraction may be fake.
The pair find themselves in awkwardly funny situations to try and convince Anh as well as the university that they truly are a match made in heaven. In the process, Olive finds that Adam is not as evil as everyone thinks, and maybe there’s more reality to their relationship than what they thought.
BookTok Popularity and The love Hypothesis
The book was released in 2021, which was a TIME for the reader girlies; BookTok was just gaining its footing as a large community on TikTok, and spicy romance books were being released like wildfire. The Love Hypothesis was one of a kind because it followed a woman in academia, a career path that usually isn’t included in the romantic comedy genre.
The book then made its way into the BookTok hall of fame as one of the OG TikTok book recs. If you were on BookTok at that time and were looking for a spicy read, The Love Hypothesis would pop up everywhere. The idea of a fake relationship with a hot scientist was an idea that no one could get enough of, especially when the scientist in question only has a soft spot for one person; I mean, we all #needthat.
A modern classic Rom-com
If you have been on TikTok during the last couple of months, you would have seen that there has been a lot of nostalgia regarding older rom-coms of the ’90s and 2000s. Think She’s the Man, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 13 Going on 30, and many more.
The lead of The Love Hypothesis, Lili Reinhart, has been a key part in the promotion of the movie. She has been posting on her personal Instagram and TikTok accounts, sharing little tidbits and teasing the movie in general. She also started to don iconic looks from ’90s and 2000s rom-coms, including the aforementioned 13 Going on 30, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Atonement, and Ever After: A Cinderella Story. All of these films were a part of the rom-com nostalgia that plagued TikTok over the last few months.
Using nostalgia in media promos is not unheard of, but this movie has taken it a step further with different photoshoots and red carpet looks that almost all have a nod to iconic looks of the past. The movie itself is also one of a kind in terms of story and the lighthearted nature of the source material.
TikTok has been blowing up over Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman promoting the movie, which first began with the book-accurate casting announcement of Olive and Adam. Needless to say, the movie has become a highly anticipated rom-com for this year.
In the last few years, there have been many criticisms of recent rom-com releases. Many of them do not have original stories or are not as interesting and fun as the rom-com classics. I think that The Love Hypothesis has already made so much of a splash that it will only solidify itself as an iconic movie of this century.
With that being said, you’re all set and caught up on the tea. Now go watch The Love Hypothesis on Prime Video and fall in love with Olive and Adam!