Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman starred in the new Amazon Prime Video film, The Love Hypothesis, based off of the popular romance novel written by Ali Hazelwood. For those who have not read the book but love a good romance story, this film will easily grab your attention and your heart. And those who are fans of the novel, it is safe to say they were pleased by this adaptation. Because even if you are bad at science, it is easy to see the chemistry between these two characters.
The film adaptation mainly focuses on the character, Olive Smith, who is a third year Ph.D. student motivated to find a cure for pancreatic cancer since losing her mother to the illness. We are brought into Olive’s world, which is generally surrounded by her studies, chemistry labs, and most importantly, her best friend, Anh (Rachel Marsh). The friendship instantly became home for Olive since having no family of her own, and Anh and her family made sure she was always included. It became very clear early on that these women would do anything for each other, and would never put each other’s happiness in jeopardy.
Which is where the film starts to take direction in the romance area. Olive and Anh start to fall for the same guy, Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), but he only has interest in Anh. Olive lies by saying she has moved on from her crush and begs Anh to pursue him, but her words don’t prove much. She begins taking action and ends up surprisingly kissing Dr. Adam Carlsen when she notices Anh walking by in the hall. In Olive’s eyes, this is her first interaction with Adam, but in Adam’s eyes, they have met once before. Years ago, Adam gave Olive meaningful advice in the bathroom before her Ph.D. interview, but she unfortunately did not see him because she was struggling with her contacts. After kissing him, Olive recognizes Adam, not from the time they met years ago, but as Dr. Evil. He was the most hated professor at Stanford University.
Adam realizes that he needs funding to continue his research, and proposes the idea of faking dating to Olive so the administration can see he has personal Stanford roots. Olive became open to the idea to prove her point to Anh even further, and both had settled on an agreement. At first their fake relationship did not seem believable since you’re pairing a very grumpy, robot-like man with a sweet, empathetic woman, but these two characters ended up exhibiting real chemistry with one another. Of course, there were some doubts and miscommunication, but towards the end, they finally realized that they can’t fake their feelings for each other any longer.
Though The Love Hypothesis revolves mostly around Olive and Adam’s relationship, love is definitely acknowledged in other areas in Olive’s life than just her romantic one. Anh’s character taught us that it’s always important to treasure your female friendships, and Olive’s consistent reciprocation portrays that as well. These women also have shown undeniable love and drive for their careers and passions, especially in a more male-dominated field. Lili Reinhart had acknowledged in her press tour that it’s very common for lead female characters in romance movies to have the same job, like a writer or journalist, and how refreshing it is to see a woman in STEM. We, of course, can only give credit to the brilliant author of the novel, Ali Hazelwood.
As someone who unfortunately did not read the book, it can be hard to recognize what was accurate in the adaptation and what was not. From what was seen online, the film overall did receive a very warm response and many were pleased with what the director, Claire Scanlon, created. From a rom-com lover, the film delivered important aspects that are always needed—the casting, the chemistry, and the plot. The timing of the story didn’t feel rushed, nor did it feel very slow. The casting of Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman was a brilliant choice, especially for those who had read the novel, there were absolutely no complaints. The chemistry felt very real and authentic, and both actors were perfect at convincing the audience that these two characters were very much in love.
