The minute Gracie Abrams’ “Mess It Up” came on, I knew I was in for the perfect rom-com. Romantic comedies are near and dear to my heart, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend most of my Friday nights curled up in my apartment with chocolate ice cream in one hand, popcorn in the other, and a rom-com on my screen. I mean, come on, what’s not to love about a rom-com? It’s all unrealistic standards and meet-cutes, strangely muscular love interests, and the quirky main character that somehow charms the all-star popular jock.Â
This rom-com, however, surprised me. Ali Hazelwood’s 2021 novel The Love Hypothesis quickly became a BookTok favorite, and the anticipated film adaptation was released on Prime Video on September 23, 2026. Elizabeth Cantillon produced the movie, with Lili Reinhart, Ali Hazelwood, Catherine Hagedorn, and Michael Williams serving as executive producers. Many people have heard that Hazelwood’s book was inspired by the Star Wars fan fiction about Kylo Ren and Rey, but please, don’t let that scare you; this romcom became much more than that.
Lili Reinhart stars as the beautifully awkward scientist Olive Smith, and Tom Bateman as Dr. Adam Carlsen, or Dr. Evil, if you’re talking to any of the Stanford grad students that Olive attended school with. The story follows Olive Smith, a Stanford Ph.D. candidate. Desperate to convince her best friend, Anh (Rachel Marsh), that she has moved on from their friend Jeremy, Olive starts a fake relationship with Dr. Evil after an awkward kiss that almost became a Title IX violation. Together, they convincingly fake-date, hoping Dr. Carlsen can also get his grant renewed at Stanford. As most binge-worthy rom-coms do, the enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes stand true. Their fake relationship turns into a genuine connection, and eventually love—a variable neither of them considered.Â
I remember reluctantly picking up this book from my local Barnes & Noble a few years ago, tired of all of the BookTok reviews. I needed to read it for myself. To no surprise, I was hooked and immediately became an Ali Hazelwood fan. Now, I like to think I’m well-versed in the world of spicy science romance books, with many of her books filling my shelves. I am always recommending her books to anyone looking for a fun, original contemporary romance.
Because I loved the book so much, I was cautious going into the movie. I’m almost always let down by film adaptations, especially with books I really loved. However, this movie held to the core plot of the book. While some character dynamics shifted and other characters, like Adam’s best friend, Holden, were never even included, I still think this movie did a good job of portraying this unique and awkward situation that Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen find themselves in. My biggest criticism from reading the book to watching this movie is that Adam’s yearning for Olive was almost completely absent. From the opening scene of Olive fixing her blurry contacts to the first kiss two years later, we have no idea in the movie that Dr. Carlsen had feelings for her the entire time. I think this was a necessary piece, and without it, the transition from fake dating to genuine feelings felt slightly rushed.Â
I pictured Dr. Carlsen in a very similar way to how he appears in the movie. All broad shoulders, a crisp lab coat, and brunette stubble that Olive Smith could not resist (and I don’t blame her!) He was confident, smart, and incredibly awkward. At times during the movie, I questioned their on-screen chemistry, but Tom Bateman did an excellent job of showing his character as slightly stiff and cold, but also incredibly endearing and thoughtful as the movie progresses.Â
We start to see that later on in the movie, during one of my favorite interactions in the whole film. They are both at the Society for Biological Discovery (SBD) Conference, and she approaches him after giving her presentation. The tension is clearly there, and she thanks him for attending and asks how he was able to get there so fast. She realizes he was the main keynote speaker for the conference, and he brushes it off and says to her, “I talked fast.” This interaction might seem small, but it was a turning point for me in how much he cares about her. He gave a major speech at this conference, and only cared about getting back in time to watch her presentation, knowing how much it meant to her. Â
Every rom-com is made up of grand moments, passionate kisses in the rain, boomboxes held up loud enough to hear the love song, dramatic dances, and angry love confessions. But I think the small moments are just as endearing. Holding hands at the restaurant or carrying Olive back to the hotel because she couldn’t walk in her heels anymore. These are the moments that keep you watching, that give you that “Ahah, I knew he was falling for her” feeling.
As we enter Fall, I’d encourage you to grab some popcorn, get cozy, and watch The Love Hypothesis for yourself. If you’re feeling up to it, read the book as well; I promise it is worth the read. Who knows? Maybe there’s a variable in your life you never considered. As a nerdy Olive Smith would say, sometimes the most unexpected connections are the ones that teach us where we really belong. After all, molecules stay in motion until they find a match, and maybe that’s much like love too. Â