By: Emerson Gaylord and Tori Schubert

People and Local Editors

On Sept. 23, Prime Video released The Love Hypothesis, which became the platform’s top film within a matter of days. This quirky, scientific rom-com stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman and tells the inspiring story of two Stanford scientists, Olive and Adam, who conduct a mutually beneficial fake relationship. Olive is desperate to prove that she no longer has feelings for her friend’s love interest. Adam needs to convince his boss that he has strong personal ties to Stanford and does not plan on leaving his position. The film follows the progression of their relationship as the two ultimately fall for each other. Simultaneously, the movie depicts their scientific careers, as well as the obstacles that women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) face. 

Ali Hazelwood originally published The Love Hypothesis as a novel in 2021. The book’s success led Prime Video to sign for the movie adaptation. While the film maintains the overall storyline and key events of the novel, the two mainly differ in the portrayal of the climax. In the movie, Olive is sexually harassed by another male scientist, whom Adam later confronts during a lecture. Students record the conflict and post it online, and Olive hears how Adam defended her. Contrastingly, in the book, Olive accidentally records the harassment and shows the video to Adam before reporting the incident. In both adaptations, Adam proves to be a trusted figure in Olive’s life, willing to defy those around him in order to defend Olive. Although the film demonstrates the importance of building trust within relationships, viewers have debated whether or not this portrays Olive as too reliant on Adam, in opposition to the movie’s themes of female independence and equality.

Although the story is mainly a romantic comedy, it also touches on many stereotypes and challenges women face within the STEM field. Through the plot of the novel and the film adaptation, Hazelwood highlights obstacles such as imposter syndrome, workplace harassment, and systemic sexism, marking a significant moment for women’s representation within STEM work forces. As one of few women in her classes, Olive constantly doubts herself and her research because of criticism from her peers. When Olive is sexually harassed, a senior scientist tells her she has to sleep with him to get into a program or he will steal her work and publish it as his own. Women throughout the industry truly meet similar situations to Olive’s, and by representing these concepts in media, the public can continue to confront these stereotypes within work environments.  

The film has seen great success in the movie industry, reaching the No. 1 film ranking across 49 countries. Additionally, the film achieved a score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes based on thousands of reviews. This film’s achievements have, without question, brought further attention to its portrayal of romance, science, and sexism in STEM fields. 

(Sources: Deadline, IMDB, Radio Times, Women in Neuroscience UK)