“The Love Hypothesis” Review
Director: Claire Scanlon Screenwriter: Sarah Rothschild Cast: Tom Bateman, Lili Reinhart, Rachel Marsh, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, Arty Froushan Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios Running Time: 112 min. MPAA: R
Often, while watching romantic comedies, I ask the same question: Why can’t these characters be smart? I don’t mind all the meet-cutes and awkward dates, but I’d like characters to be more fully realized so I care enough about who ends up in bed together. Well, The Love Hypothesis delivers on that wish by presenting people who are academically intelligent and have more on their minds than who they want to sleep with. Not every rom-com has banter that includes debating the science of pizza crusts.
The film centers on the students of Stanford University’s PhD program. The plucky Olive (Lili Reinhart) is not only wise in her studies of pancreatic cancer, but also smart enough to read the room regarding her friends. In particular, she notices her friend Ahn (Rachel Marsh) wants to date Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), a student Olive has a crush on. Fearing her feelings will be misread, Olive lies and says she has a boyfriend in order to give Ahn a shot with Jeremy. But it’s a lie that finds her scrambling for the nearest man to play the role, which happens to be Doctor Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman). Considering this is a strict teacher who has been given the nickname of Doctor Evil, this is initially a bad move and one that might seem to end Olive’s student status. However, Adam also needs to be seen in a relationship to renew his grant. Thus, the two commit to a phony relationship, but don’t account for the possibility that they may genuinely fall in love.
Okay, all of that might sound like the makings of a by-the-numbers rom-com of a fake romance that blossoms into something more earnest. Adam and Olive are attractive enough that you might think they could form a romantic bond right away, but they also try to stay professional about what they’re seeking. I enjoyed how Olive has a genuine ambition to push her research in curing pancreatic cancer, but is terrified to bring up her personal motivations around a swarm of highly scrutinizing academics. I appreciated how Adam still tries to maintain his role as a professor who recognizes his students’ potential, as well as the faults in his program that aren’t warranted. These are two incredibly smart people who keep their eyes so firmly on the prize that it’s refreshing when they start recognizing their true feelings amid this farce.
The key to making such a film work is caring enough about these characters, intellectually and sexually, that the drive to come together feels more enticing than routine. Adam and Olive are so hopelessly devoted to their craft that one could easily expect their relationship to remain a highly choreographed scheme for professional success. But once they start acting on those feelings in the final act, it is highly rousing, especially for a sex scene that is erotic enough to feel something enthusiastically rousing. Few films ever work this hard for a sex scene between a professor and student that doesn’t leave a nasty taste of power dynamics or manipulation at play. I found myself rooting for these characters, despite their differences in academic roles, because they’re not stupid about what they want to study and who they want to love. Of course, it helps that there’s an even nastier professor to fight against, which makes that love all the stronger. And despite how tacked-on that conflict might be, it works to show the lengths these two will go to find something more than a renewed grant or accepted research.
The Love Hypothesis finds a solid way to make a familiar formula brim with more romance than routine. Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman have wonderful chemistry as they play off each other in how they deceive others and themselves, creating a romance that feels playful and thoughtful rather than cynical and half-hearted. Even though the two leads are absolutely gorgeous, there is something to be said for how sexy it is to watch devoted scientists find each other while excelling in their field. It’s amusing without feeling forced, and romantic without feeling ho-hum with familiar clichés. Even though the film takes a few liberties here and there, the overall message of intelligence being a sexy trait doesn’t feel forced and is a welcome ethos for a genre that could use a few more brains than boobs, despite having an incredible sex scene.
