The Love Hypothesis (film)

The Love Hypothesis (film)

The Love Hypothesis is a 2026 American romantic comedy film adapted from the novel of the same name by Ali Hazelwood. Directed by Claire Scanlon from a script by Sarah Rothschild, it follows professor Dr. Adam Carlsen and PhD student Olive Smith as they enter a fake relationship to put their theories about love to the test. The film stars Tom Bateman and Lili Reinhart. It was released on Prime Video on September 23, 2026 and received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

Plot

The Love Hypothesis (film)

Biology student Olive Smith nervously deals with expired contact lenses which temporarily blur her vision before interviewing to become a PhD student at Stanford University. An unseen researcher interrupts her, irked at her using his lab's bathroom. They briefly interact, with the researcher encouraging her, but leaving without introducing himself.

Olive is accepted to Stanford. While initially reserved and anxious, she develops friendships with classmates Anh, Malcolm, and Jeremy. Olive initially crushes on Jeremy, but soon realizes he is interested in Anh. One night while working in a lab on campus, Olive overhears Anh rejecting his advances.

Realizing Anh is not dating Jeremy to protect her feelings, Olive says she has been seeing someone. Meant to be on a date, Anh almost catches her working in the lab. To maintain her lie, she quickly kisses the first person she sees: Dr. Adam Carlsen, a postdoctoral fellow nicknamed 'Dr. Evil' for his blunt, hostile demeanor. Adam threatens Olive with a Title IX complaint for the nonconsensual kiss, but later proposes a deal. They will pretend to date, giving her a fake boyfriend so Anh can find love and he can get his grant renewed by appearing more committed to Stanford.

Olive agrees to the plan, and after an initial coffee shop encounter, she and Adam attend a department picnic together. Egged on by her friends, Olive applies sunscreen to a shirtless Adam. Despite their mutual awkwardness, their presence together is noticed approvingly by department head Dr. Fastuca.

At a faculty party at Dr. Fastuca's, Olive meets Adam's former colleague Dr. Tom Benton. Tom asks her to share her pancreatic cancer research with the group, but she is grilled on the legitimacy of her work, and deflects questions about her personal connection to it. Walking home, Adam consoles her. Olive suddenly realizes he was the researcher who encouraged her before her initial Stanford interview. She then reveals her mother dying from pancreatic cancer inspired her passion. At the end of the night, they kiss in front of Olive's friends.

Tom later meets with Olive and invites her to present at the upcoming SBD Conference, a major biology symposium, to possibly achieve a grant to work in his Harvard lab. Adam helps her prepare for her talk, while beginning to show a softer side around her and her friends. Olive's friends assume she will share a room with him at the conference, forcing them to do just that, albeit in separate beds.

Olive's successful presentation is inadvertantly scheduled simultaneously with Adam's; she only discovers afterward that he was the event's keynote speaker. In the bathroom, Olive overhears people saying she is underqualified to present and suggest she only got a spot due to her relationship with Adam, damaging her confidence. At dinner, Adam shares that his research supervisor during his undergraduate years with Tom was sadisticly abusive, contributing to Adam's aloofness. Back in the hotel room, Olive kisses Adam, admitting she has real feelings for him, and they sleep together.

The next morning, Tom tells Adam he will offer Olive a grant to work in his lab, suggesting he cut ties with her so she can focus on her research. He then surprises Olive in her hotel room, aggressively propositioning her for sex in exchange for the grant, warning her that telling anyone will ruin her reputation. Tom also tells Olive he will plagiarize her work using the samples she sent him if she reports him. A stunned Olive returns to Stanford, but Adam is distant and does not respond to her calls.

Facing Adam in his office, before Olive can reveal her encounter with Tom, he announces he got his funding, so their 'fake' relationship is over. She leaves heartbroken, but Anh encourages her. Olive finds a place at Stanford to continue her work.

During a chance meeting between Anh and Adam, she reveals what Tom did, infuriating Adam. He confronts Tom, interrupting his class, and vowing to end his career. Olive sees a live stream of the confrontation, so seeks Adam out, berating him for his rejection. He apologizes, confessing he also has real feelings for her. They reconcile and agree to start their relationship again in earnest.

Two years later, Olive and Anh both have their PhDs, and are teaching at Stanford alongside Adam, who is still happily together with Olive.

Cast

The Love Hypothesis (film)

• Tom Bateman as Dr. Adam Carlsen • Lili Reinhart as Olive Smith • Rachel Marsh as Anh Pham • Jaboukie Young-White as Malcolm Browne • Nicholas Duvernay as Jeremy Langley • Arty Froushan as Dr. Thomas Benton • Jeananne Goossen as Dr. Juliet Aslan • Aladeen Tawfeek as Dr. Eugene Fastuca • Kenny Wong as McConnell • Daniel Brochu as Dr. Hargrave • Alexandra Petrachuk as Natalie Lazotti • Howard Bilerman as Dr. Keeney

Production

The Love Hypothesis (film)

The film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's 2021 novel was announced in October 2022 by Bisous Pictures. Claire Scanlon was attached to direct from a script by Sarah Rothschild, while Elizabeth Cantillon joined as a producer for Amazon MGM Studios and MRC. The film stars Tom Bateman and Lili Reinhart, whose casting was announced in July 2025. Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White and Arty Froushan joined them in August 2025. Principal photography took place in Montreal, Canada, in July and August 2025.

Laura Karpman was hired to compose the score for the film. Karpman previously collaborated with Scanlon on the film Set It Up (2018).

Release

The Love Hypothesis (film)

The film premiered on Prime Video on September 23, 2026.

Reception

The Love Hypothesis (film)

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Love Hypothesis follows a familiar rom-com formula, but its healthy dose of humor and palpable chemistry between Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman make it a satisfying comfort watch." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.