Courtney Howard // Film Critic
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS
Rated R, 1 hour and 50 minutes
Directed by: Claire Scanlon
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Tom Bateman, Rachel Marsh, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, Arty Froushan, Kenny Wong, Alexandra Petrachuck
When the press tour’s fashions paying homage to iconic rom-com heroines are far more beguiling and interest-provoking than the movie that’s being promoted, that’s a huge problem. Though Lili Reinhart has captured our attention on social media with her whimsical remixing of attention-getting, Movie Moment dresses from films like HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS, MISS CONGENIALITY, UPTOWN GIRLS and 13 GOING ON 30, the film she’s leading, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, offers nothing in terms of matched lasting power. Not only are the fashions within the film fairly stock, so are the formulaic, rote shenanigans in Prime Video’s rom-com about two scientists fake dating and inevitably falling in love. It’s not solely that the hijinks and hilarity are predictable, as movies of this ilk follow a traditional route. It’s that it’s mind-numbingly inert.
Olive Smith (Reinhart) is an adorable introvert and used to being alone. That is until she starts her graduate study at Stanford. She becomes fast friends with classmate Ahn Pham (Rachel Marsh), who takes her under her wing, introducing her to college parties, new adventures and her own family during Christmas break. Olive would do anything for her, including lie to Ahn about having a boyfriend so that highly principled Ahn can date Olive’s brief former crush Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), who’s shown interest in Ahn. Olive’s partner-in-crime happens to be the most hated, mean and workaholic post-grad professor on campus: Dr. Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman).
Adam (who comes across as a robotic Mr. Darcy type) has a vested interest in furthering Olive’s spontaneous scheme. He’s up for a research grant that the university is hesitant to give him, and is considered a flight risk since he has nothing tying him down. No friends. No pets and no family. He wagers if he had a girlfriend, he might be able to secure that grant. And since Olive is desperate to deceive (for altruistic reasons, of course) her bestie, Adam proposes a deal. Olive readily agrees. However, no matter how they try to anticipate any problems, complications inevitably arise that impact their feelings and futures.
Director Claire Scanlon is no slouch at crafting charming, funny hijinks with two adorable leads as she set a gold standard, helming one of Netlfix’s best rom-coms in SET IT UP. However, in this streamer’s offering, she and writer Sarah Rothschild (who adapts Ali Hazelwood’s novel of the same name) fail to make similar magic happen. That’s despite Reinhart trying with all her might to elevate the lackluster material, giving her character greater depth and dimension than what the dialogue provides. Olive’s inner life is bursting with real, honest emotional pull and yet the script doesn’t allow her any room to make it into a reality.
Narratively, the film experiences a windfall of problems. Adam’s spurned student whose dog died (Alexandra Petrachuck) and the gals’ classmate who frequently hushes them (Kenny Wong) are moderately funny as they’re played as long-running gags. Otherwise, humor is suffocated by tedium. Olive’s kooky eccentricity is that she subsists on junk food and has overactive sweat glands, none of which gets us laughing.
While we care about Olive’s bestie Ahn since she’s set up to be a major positive influence in Olive’s life, we don’t care at all about Olive’s gay roommate Malcolm (Jaboukie Young-White). His character – a slacker whose heart isn’t really in getting a college education – is dead weight and should’ve been excised completely to keep the story’s momentum and focus on its heroine. His inclusion is a half-hearted attempt at LGBTQ+ positivity and doesn’t connect with Olive in any impactful way. She mostly stares at him blankly while he trauma dumps on her about dating, rudely yells at her while unfairly blaming her for his own faults, and eventually wastes more time on his apology.
This movie lives or dies on its leads having chemistry – yet Reinhart and Bateman just don’t. So when the time comes for sparks to ignite, it fizzles. Their sex scene has the appearance of being steamy. But I’d like to remind you steam also happens when water douses a flame. He has a line about her being edible right before he goes down on her. And yet it’s said in an uncomfortable, gag-worthy tone. Bateman is completely stiff as a board as his misanthropic character awkwardly fumbles through scenario after scenario. His robotic performance is not excusable just because his character is socially impaired. He clearly is out of his element.
In fact, no one behind the camera seems particularly engaged with the material. Editing is real low energy. With the exception of a peppy rendition of the Go-Go’s “Head Over Heels,” and needle drops on Haim, Gracie Abrams and Selena Gomez tunes, the soundscape is frequently undercut by a pushy, budget-constrained score. Cinematography is flat when the narrative of a woman achieving her dreams aches for saturated vibrancy and a greater warm glow. Reinhart’s would-be Movie Moment debuting her pretty red party dress is poorly showcased in a drab environment.
Sentiments and circumstances that lean on female empowerment in a male dominated field come across as pandering when they could’ve had something sincere, even meaningful to say. THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS isn’t cheesy in a harmless, cringe way. It drastically disappoints when the individuals involved, who have done good work before, should have combined in a perfect formulation.
Grade: D-
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS debuts globally on Prime Video on September 23.
