"The Love Hypothesis" Review : Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman Test Their Chemistry
Ali Hazelwood’s New York Times best-selling novel “The Love Hypothesis” arrives on screen courtesy of Prime Video, with Claire Scanlon directing from a screenplay by Sarah Rothschild. The story follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a brilliant Ph.D. candidate focused on her future in academia. When she discovers that her best friend Ahn (Rachel Marsh) has fallen for her crush, Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), Olive impulsively kisses her intimidating professor, Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman), to prove she has moved on.
What starts as a desperate act of friendship transforms into a fake relationship with rules, boundaries, and a mutually beneficial agreement. As their arrangement begins to blur the lines between performance and reality, Olive must confront her most daunting hypothesis yet: that love might actually be worth the risk.
From my experience as a film critic, I’ve learned that certain genre films come with a built-in audience and can be almost critic-proof. One such genre is the adaptation of a best-selling romance novel. Typically, when it’s a work from authors like Colleen Hoover or Nicholas Sparks, I grade on a curve as long as the film hits the necessary beats of the romance genre. “The Love Hypothesis” fits that criteria. I was particularly interested because I enjoyed Lili Reinhart’s work on “Riverdale” and wanted to see her tackle a lighter role.
Reinhart brings just the right amount of whimsical charm to Olive, which a film like this requires. She’s driven, has depth, and we genuinely want to see her succeed. The script also wisely avoids overemphasizing Jeremy or portraying Olive as hopelessly hung up on him, which makes her eventual arrangement with Adam more believable.
While I’ve primarily encountered Tom Bateman in supporting roles, including “Hedda,” this was my first opportunity to see him carry a romantic lead. Initially, Adam comes across as arrogant and pompous, but we soon discover there’s more to him than meets the eye. Bateman handles that transition effectively without forcing the material, and his chemistry with Reinhart does much of the heavy lifting.
Unfortunately, Nicholas Duvernay gets considerably less to work with. Jeremy feels less like a fully realized supporting character and more like a narrative device, which is disappointing given the additional depth afforded to Rachel Marsh’s Ahn. Duvernay is essentially asked to move the plot forward when the character could have been developed into something more substantial.
There’s also a moment during the climax involving another character that is resolved far too casually. Without venturing into spoiler territory, the behavior involved warrants a much stronger consequence than the film ultimately provides. The movie seems eager to move past it so it can return to the romance, leaving what should be a significant moment without the weight it deserves.
Up until the third act, I was also perplexed about why the film received an “R” rating. However, when the scene that justifies that rating finally arrives, it feels earned rather than forced. More importantly, it works within the relationship the film has spent time developing instead of coming across as something included simply to spice up the adaptation.
Most viewers will have a clear idea of where “The Love Hypothesis” is headed long before Olive and Adam get there. But predictability isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker for this kind of movie. Reinhart and Bateman understand exactly what film they’re in, and their chemistry gives the familiar material enough charm to make it an enjoyable, if ultimately one-time, watch.
Final Grade: B-
“The Love Hypothesis” is streaming on Prime Video today.
