The Love Hypothesis (2026)
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A biology student and a prickly postdoctoral fellow enter a fake relationship to navigate social pressures and academic ambitions.
The story
Biology student Olive Smith arrives at Stanford University to begin her PhD program. While trying to navigate her new life, she discovers that her friend Anh is pining for Jeremy, who is unaware of Anh's feelings. To help Anh move on, Olive claims she is in a relationship. In a moment of panic, she kisses Dr. Adam Carlsen, a postdoctoral fellow known for his hostile demeanor. Instead of pursuing a complaint, Adam proposes a deal: they will fake a relationship. This arrangement allows Olive to maintain her lie to her friends while helping Adam secure a grant by appearing more committed to the university.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Olive Smith, a biology student at Stanford, enters a fake relationship with Dr. Adam Carlsen, a postdoctoral fellow nicknamed 'Dr. Evil,' to help her friend Anh date Jeremy. The arrangement works well initially, but tensions rise as they attend department events and a biology symposium in Boston. During the conference, Olive discovers Adam's past with an abusive supervisor and realizes he has genuine feelings for her. However, a colleague named Tom Benton attempts to exploit Olive by offering her a grant in exchange for sex and threatening to plagiarize her work. When Adam initially pulls away, believing their fake relationship is over, Anh reveals Tom's predatory behavior to Adam. Infuriated, Adam confronts Tom publicly. Olive and Adam reconcile, confessing their true feelings and beginning a real relationship. Two years later, Olive and Anh are both teaching at Stanford alongside Adam.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Claire Scanlon
- Writers
- Sarah Rothschild · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tom Bateman · Dr. Adam Carlsen; Lili Reinhart · Olive Smith; Rachel Marsh · Anh Pham; Jaboukie Young-White · Malcolm Browne; Nicholas Duvernay · Jeremy Langley; Arty Froushan · Dr. Thomas Benton; Jeananne Goossen · Dr. Juliet Aslan; Aladeen Tawfeek · Dr. Eugene Fastuca
- Genres
- romantic comedy
- Themes
- fake dating; academic pressure; STEM careers; overcoming trauma
- Tone and mood
- romantic; awkward; academic
- Premise and plot tags
- fake dating; romance; university life; science
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2021 novel by Ali Hazelwood
- Reception
- mixed to positive
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 59 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- Principal photography took place in Montreal, Canada.; The score was composed by Laura Karpman, who previously collaborated with Scanlon on 'Set It Up'.; The film was announced in October 2022.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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