There’s something about a good fake-dating romance that is just ridiculously easy to get into. You already know where it’s going, you know the two people will eventually fall for each other, and yet you still sit there waiting for that moment when they finally realise, “Oh. We’re actually in love.”
The Love Hypothesis, a Netflix movie adapted from Ali Hazelwood’s best-selling novel published in 2021, knows precisely what type of movie it needs to become. With Clare Scanlon at the helm of its direction, this romantic comedy movie features the talented Lili Reinhart playing Olive Smith, a biology PhD student, and Tom Bateman as the tough Professor Adam Carlsen.
The story begins with Olive planting a kiss on Adam in an attempt to make her best friend Anh, played by Rachel Marsh, believe that she’s gotten over her crush. Of course, the catch here is that Adam isn’t just any random man; he’s a professor at Olive’s university, and their fake relationship gradually evolves into more than they had initially planned.
And that plot point continues to work perfectly fine.
One reason why this is possible can be traced back to the performances of the leads, Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman. Lili Reinhart brings in just enough awkwardness and shyness in the performance of Olive, without making her annoying. And although Tom Bateman could have easily become just another handsome and distant leading man, he does provide some warmth through his acting abilities.
Their chemistry is probably the movie’s biggest strength. The little looks, awkward pauses and sarcastic exchanges work better than some of the bigger romantic scenes. You can actually believe these two are slowly getting attached to each other, which is kind of essential for a movie like this.
Rachel Marsh is also a lot of fun as Anh. The friendship between Olive and Anh gives the story some personality outside the romance. Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White, Arty Froushan and Jeananne Goossen add to the supporting cast and keep the movie from feeling too focused on just the central couple.
Where the movie struggles a little is in trying to squeeze everything that made the book work into a feature-length rom-com.
Hazelwood’s novel spends a lot of time inside Olive’s head, with her insecurities, overthinking and all those tiny moments that gradually build the romance. A movie obviously can’t do quite as much of that, and you can feel the difference here. Some moments that probably felt like a slow burn on the page move much faster on screen.
There are scenes clearly designed to make book fans excited, and they probably will. But sometimes the movie feels like it’s rushing through the steps between “we’re pretending to date” and “wait, why do I actually care about this person?”
Still, The Love Hypothesis isn’t really a movie you watch for surprises. You watch it for the banter, the awkwardness, the chemistry and the inevitable romantic payoff. And on those terms, it mostly delivers.
The academic setting also gives the movie a little more personality than your average rom-com. The university environment, labs and STEM background are actually part of the story rather than just being there in the background. It gives Olive and Adam’s relationship something different to play against.
Is it as satisfying as reading the book? That will probably depend on how attached you are to the original. The novel has more time to build the tension and let Olive’s personality come through. The movie is naturally more streamlined, so some of that slow-burn magic gets lost along the way.
But as a standalone romantic comedy, it’s easy to watch, easy to root for and occasionally very cute.
The Love Hypothesis isn’t trying to reinvent the rom-com. It takes a familiar formula — fake dating, grumpy professor, awkward heroine and obvious chemistry — and simply has fun with it. There aren’t many surprises, but that’s not necessarily the point.
Sometimes you just want two attractive people to spend two hours pretending they don’t like each other while everyone watching knows exactly what’s going to happen.
And Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman make that journey enjoyable enough.
The Love Hypothesis is a charming, breezy rom-com with good chemistry at its centre. It may not capture every bit of the book’s slow-burn charm, but if you’re looking for something light, romantic and easy to settle into, this one fits the mood pretty well.
Streaming now on Amazon Prime.
