The Love Hypothesis Review: Heavy On Biology, Light On Chemistry

The long-awaited movie adaptation of the Reylo fan fiction-turned best-selling novel has finally arrived, but it doesn't quite live up to the hype.

Prime Video's The Love Hypothesis was always going to be an interesting experiment. Long before it was slated to hit the streamer, and even before it was a best-selling novel that performed well enough to get picked up for a major movie adaptation, this story was Star Wars fan fiction. Specifically, The Love Hypothesis protagonists, biology PhD student Olive Smith and biology professor Dr. Adam Carlsen, are based on Daisy Ridley's Rey and Adam Driver's Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy – commonly referred to as "Reylo" by fan shippers.

I readily admit to being a massive Star Wars fan. I've even argued before that there were many Kylo Ren and Rey moments that suggested they were headed for romance throughout all three sequel movies, not just when they kissed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is a controversial take. However, even I felt a bit uncomfortable with some aspects of The Love Hypothesis, from the fact that Dr. Adam Carlsen is clearly named after Adam Driver himself to the news that Daisy Ridley's real-life husband, Tom Bateman, would be playing him.

The Love Hypothesis trailer suggested the movie had promise, though. For one, Lili Reinhart is the lead, and from her book-cover-accurate bun to her obvious dedication to honoring the novel and its fanbase, that casting choice boded well for the movie's reception, at the very least. For another, the surprising R-rating meant that scene was going to be just as steamy as it was in the book (and it actually shows a lot more than fans might be expecting). In those areas, The Love Hypothesis does shine; however, it never fully escapes the clunky awkwardness of its origins, and one half of the polar opposite, fake-dating lovebirds never felt 100% right.

The Love Hypothesis Had Some Surprising Standouts, But The Main Couple Lacked A Spark

As expected, Reinhart is brilliant. She perfectly captures Olive's quirky charm, and somewhat unfortunately, it frequently felt like she was acting circles around almost everyone who shared a scene with her. Sadly, her on-screen dynamism didn't quite translate to a compelling couple. Arguably stunted by the fact that Bateman is doing an American accent, Dr. Carlsen's nature, which should be brooding and domineering, comes across more like social awkwardness and roboticism. Not exactly the recipe for sexy smut.

There are moments when Reinhart and Bateman have chemistry (and yes, that includes the wrist scene), but more often than not, it seems like Olive is teaching Adam how to socialize, not navigating a fake relationship with an intimidating, notoriously harsh professor. If anything, the times when Adam does lash out at students feel oddly forced and out of place, undermining the most fundamental component of his characterization. Almost as bad is the fact that his deep voice, yet another key aspect of both Kylo Ren and Dr. Carlsen, often sounds uncomfortably put-on.

Thankfully, other standouts in the cast rescue certain scenes from feeling completely cumbersome. All three of Olive's friends – Anh (Rachel Marsh), Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), and Malcom (Jaboukie Young-White) – are delightful, with Jaboukie Young-White's Malcom stealing the show multiple times. It's actually a shame these characters aren't featured more, as Anh and Olive's relationship is among the more interesting parts of the movie and, regrettably, typically displayed more chemistry than The Love Hypothesis' leading lovers.

Credit: MovieStillsDB

The movie has its own set of issues apart from the merits or flaws of the cast, however. Like its predecessors, The Love Hypothesis novel and the original Archive of Our Own (AO3) fan fiction, the movie suffers from some cringey lines, especially due to the heavy-handed nature of its science references and terminology (it begins with an on-screen definition of hypothesis, which is never a good sign). That isn't to ding fan fiction, either; stories shouldn't automatically be counted out for having their starts on sites like AO3.

Yet, the genre has its limitations, and AO3 readers know there's a certain cadence that quickly gives fan-fiction origins away. This, unfortunately, is true of The Love Hypothesis, which has many bits of dialogue that fell flat and scenes in which a character's motivations are unclear and/or poorly explained. At several points, this makes characters' actions feel like something they were doing solely because that's what has to happen to move the plot forward.

Still, fans of the book will likely be pleased. The movie obviously cared about being book-accurate, and all the steamy moments fans are hoping to see made it into this adaptation. There's also something to be said for a romcom that leans into its cheesier moments and prioritizes fun over realism, and The Love Hypothesis certainly fits that bill.

The Love Hypothesis is available to stream on Prime Video from Wednesday, September 23.

Release Date September 23, 2026

Director Claire Scanlon

Writers Sarah Rothschild

Producers Elizabeth Cantillon

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  Lili Reinhart

  Olive Smith

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  Tom Bateman

  Dr. Adam Carlsen