Has there ever been a better time to be a romance lover? My hypothesis is no. On September 23, Prime Video released its newest rom-com: The Love Hypothesis. Inspired by a book of the same name written by Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis tells the story of Olive Smith, a third year Ph.D. candidate who finds herself in a fake relationship with Adam Carlsen, a faculty member not-so-affectionately known as “Dr. Evil.”
Despite the main focus of the story on the budding romance between Olive and Adam, The Love Hypothesis also contains heartwarming elements of friendship, girlhood, and academic success. It approaches delicate topics too, such as the death of a loved one, data theft, and misogyny in academia.
Personally, I found the friendship between Olive and Anh, her closest friend and the reason she’s entangled with Dr. Carlsen, to be a beautiful representation of female friendship. Anh encourages Olive to get out of her comfort zone, and to make herself large in a male-dominated space that tries to make her feel small. Not only that, but the two prove time and again throughout the movie that they are not willing to put any man before their friendship with each other.
“I will find my people. I will make connections. The entire universe, down to a single atom, is built on trying to find order through connection.”
—Olive Smith
Now, for the main attraction: Olive and Adam. Olive may be a biology student, but the chemistry is undeniable, (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). What happens when two socially awkward people attempt to convince the world that they are happy and in love? The Love Hypothesis answers that question, and it answers it well. The result is an adorable, steamy concoction of moments that actually made me laugh out loud—when I wasn’t blushing from the longing looks, fumbling awkwardness, and overall endearing qualities of our main couple.
Our leading lady, Lili Reinhart, has certainly come a long way from her Riverdale days. Not only does she play Olive Smith beautifully, but she also had a very big role as one of the producers of the movie, and you could tell that she poured so much love into this project. When it comes to movies that are adapted from books, it can be hard to fit two or three hundred pages’ worth of content in a two-hour time frame, but this movie did it well. It kept all of the best elements of the book, creating a cast full of flushed-out, lovable characters, and a plot that kept me entirely engrossed.
A little fun fact: The Love Hypothesis was originally published as a fanfiction of Kylo Ren and Rey from the most recent Star Wars trilogy. You might find it ironic to know that the leading man, Adam Carlsen, is played by Tom Bateman, who is the husband of Daisy Ridley, the woman who plays Rey in the Star Wars movies. Probably made for an interesting conversation, right?
Overall, I thought that the movie did absolute justice by the book. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen for the entire 112 minute runtime. The characters, the setting, the plot, and the jokes made for an enjoyable experience from front to back. Two more of Ali Hazelwood’s works, Deep End and Love, Theoretically, are currently in development to become adapted into movies. It’s safe to say that I will be in the audience for both of them (and I’ll be waiting for when they turn Problematic Summer Romance into a movie, too). All of this to say: do yourself a favor, set aside two hours, and watch The Love Hypothesis. You might find that a good rom-com does wonders for the soul.