In an attempt to approach this review of The Love Hypothesis scientifically, let’s analyze its components. On one end, it’s a pretty straightforward, semi-self-aware rom-com about a PhD student and a professor faking a relationship for their own reasons, only to find that the relationship becomes very real. On the other end, it’s Star Wars fanfic.
Like the characters in the movie, I’m going to ditch my barely there conceit (i.e., scientific analysis), because once you know about the origin of the film, it’s impossible to get past it when you’re watching, to the point that I envy those who consume The Love Hypothesis completely unaware of the context. It’s a sweet, funny rom-com with two very engaging leads in Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman. Reinhart is Olive Smith, a student who wants her best friend to start dating her former crush, so spontaneously kisses the professor everyone calls Dr. Evil to make her think she’s moved on. Meanwhile, that professor, Adam Carlsen, needs to prove to the university he has roots there so they’ll renew his contract, which could be achieved by having a girlfriend on campus. So they figure they can fake a relationship to get both of their goals. There’s your typical meet cute, they hate each other, then they like each other, then they love each other. You’ve got complications and misunderstandings, supportive best friends and even a racy love scene with some semi-nudity because this is streaming on Prime Video and you can get away with that sort of thing*.
(*It’s also a concession to book readers, as one of the highlights of the novel by Ali Hazelwood is a two-chapter-long sex scene; here it’s reduced to your classic mutually gratifying 10 seconds of love making.)
But, and here’s where I ruin the movie for you: this is Reylo fanfic. If you have no idea what that means, Reylo is the relationship between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver) in the Star Wars sequel movies, one that was considered non-canon until it was canonized by Rise of Skywalker with a little smoocheroo. In the alternate universe of The Love Hypothesis, Rey is Olive, Kylo Ren is Dr. Carlsen, and the rest of the characters map onto Star Wars characters as well: Olive’s best friend Anh (Rachel Marsh) is the Resistance fighter Rose Tico, Olive’s roommate Malcolm (Jaboukie Young-White) is based on former stormtrooper Finn. And a villainous professor named Tom Benton (Arty Froushan) is based on the equally villainous Hux.
And the movie, directed by Claire Scanlon leans into this in a way that’s absolutely nuts. Adam is constantly dressed in black like Kylo Ren, and even has a scene where he’s shirtless, surprising Olive, a la a similar scene in The Last Jedi. Olive wears several outfits that evoke Rey’s outfits from the trilogy, and often sports a more natural riff on Rey’s triple-bun hairstyle. Laura Karpman’s musical score makes the comparisons unavoidable, as Olive’s theme is a riff on “Rey’s Theme” and Adam’s theme is a riff on “Kylo Ren’s Theme” with a hint of the “Imperial March,” all by John Williams from the sequel films.
But the real brain breaker? Tom Bateman is Daisy Ridley’s real-life husband. And Froushan’s character is named after him. And he’s in the movie. It’s a bonkers bit of meta-fiction to add on top of the fan fiction element that again is only distracting if you know what’s going on; but when you do, it’s basically all you can focus on to the point that one expects the characters to look directly at the screen and say “can you believe we’re getting away with this?”
Granted, this isn’t the first time fanfic has made its way to the screen in a different form: 50 Shades of Grey is pretty famously Twilight fanfic, but the movies at least do a better job of hiding the comparisons. And rarely does a film revel in the twists of the source material as much as The Love Hypothesis does, to the point that it might be worth making fans of the Lucasfilm movies aware that there’s a Star Wars romcom heading to streaming.
I’ve spent so much time talking about the fanfic aspect because otherwise there’s not too much that’s revelatory here, to the point that Olive even comments multiple times on how this is playing out as fanfic. The characters are all aware of fake dating tropes from rom-coms. When they have to share a room at a conference in a hotel, Olive mentions that there’s always one bed… Basically there’s meta-rom-com going on, on top of the meta-fanfic, but the rom-com elements are ultimately rote.
What works far better and feels fresher than the enemies-to-lovers arc for Olive and Adam is the friendship between Olive and Anh, the real heart of the movie. Reinhart has already acquitted herself as one of the best actors working today from her game-for-anything turn in Riverdale (yes, really) to her should-have-been-Emmy-nominated role in Hal & Harper. She’s also clearly a smart producer (she’s executive producer on this film), and has a clear understanding of her career trajectory.
But the real revelation here is Marsh as Anh. She’s already had a buzzy turn on Hulu’s Adults Season 2 this year, playing aspiring (and terrible) popstar Carly, and she pretty much steals the show in The Love Hypothesis. Every line lands, and she gets to play multiple modes from dropping inspirational, Rose Tico-esque speeches to Olive (who has suffered a major loss at the top of the movie), to off-hand snarky remarks directed towards Adam, and even a sweet romantic arc of her own. It’s a smart move that the movie (mild spoiler here) begins and ends with Olive and Anh; not Olive and Adam, because Reinhart and Marsh have the strongest chemistry on display… Ultimately The Love Hypothesis proves to be another ode to the enduring power of female friendship (see this week’s excellent Forgotten Island for more on that); a friend-com, instead of a rom-com.
To loop back to my shoddy scientific analysis premise, my personal hypothesis is that those who happen across the movie on Prime Video will find a pleasant way to pass an hour or two, with some cute setups and solid performances (particularly Reinhart and Marsh). But for those who know what this movie really is? May the force be with you.
The Love Hypothesis premieres on Prime Video on September 23.
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