Fix: STEMinism, Tall Men with Big Hands, Guys That Remind You of Science Fiction Villains, Real (?) Science, Grumpy/Sunshine Pairings, Fake Dating That Turns Real (Obvs.)
Platform: Prime
Prime Summary:
Based on the New York Times best-seller, The Love Hypothesis follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a Ph.D. candidate who impulsively kisses her department’s most intimidating professor, Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman). Their mutual need for a fake relationship turns into an experiment in chemistry that might actually solve for love.
FYA Summary:
Olive Smith is a hot mess of a brilliant scientist who only wants two things: To find money to fund her research and do what’s best for her best friend, Anh. When the opportunity to give Anh the freedom to date a man they’ve both long admired comes up, Olive makes a split-second decision—and ends up kissing one of Stanford’s most infamous professors, the one most of his students call Dr. Evil.
Dr. Adam Carlsen isn’t a bad guy, per se. But he is as strict as they come, and is often a little too blunt for anyone’s good—especially the doctoral candidates working in his lab. But he, too, needs his research funded, and he sees Olive’s rash action as an opportunity for both of them to get what they want. Little do either of them know that sometimes variables happen even under the most strict of protocols.
Familiar Faces:
Lili Reinhart as Olive Smith and Tom Bateman as Adam Carlsen
I only really know Reinhart from Riverdale, but I adored her as Betty. Olive is much like the Betty of later seasons, a Betty who’s realized that life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Olive hasn’t let the hard things completely turn her life into a tragedy, however; she’s passionate about and dedicated to her research—and snarky as heck. I’m glad to say that I was wrong when I questioned her ability to play Olive, but I do think the audience needed a bit more time to truly connect with her and her motivations.
When I read about Bateman being cast as Adam, I had a good chuckle given the inspiration for the book this movie was based on. (TL; DR: It was Reylo fanfiction, and Bateman is Daisy Ridley’s real-life partner.) I’m not entirely sure how I feel about him in the role of Adam, though. He was either excellent or kind of terrible. (I’m leaning toward the former at the moment.) The character of Adam has elements of Kylo Ren and Mr. Darcy, both, and there were glimpses of brilliance throughout the movie when Bateman was pulling off both with ease. (Did anyone else notice the hand flex? ‘Cause you know I did.)
Couch-Sharing Capability: No Judgment Allowed
I don’t know what it says about me, but I love explaining to people when something in the cultural zeitgeist is based on fanfiction—particularly when it’s a fanfiction of a pairing that I ship. Someone in my work Slack mentioned this movie the other day, and I began to type out a longwinded response explaining about the Reylo connections. I stopped short, suddenly, and wondered if the connections I was (over)explaining were real, or if I’d made them up in a fit of wishful thinking. When I told a good friend this story, she replied “well, I very much enjoyed our mutual hallucination.”
This is the kind of person you need to invite over to watch this movie with you. (Love you, Chels.)
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Happy Hour
Grad students notoriously have little money, and grad students in STEM seem to have even less than most. So think like a grad student when planning your movie snacks and just rummage through whatever you have in your kitchen already. If you feel the need to be fancy, keep it to the alcohol used in well drinks. No one should live on cheap ramen alone.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Could Be Great
On a scale of 1 to You’ve Got Mail, The Love Hypothesis rates higher than your favorite Hallmark holiday movie but well below The Proposal. It’s cute, and it’s a decent adaptation of the book, but it’s not anything I would suggest saving for a rare date night or a special book club viewing. Unless, of course, you’re doing a double feature of this movie and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. ‘Cause that sounds like an amazing time, and I’ll be right over.
