‘The Love Hypothesis’ Just Got Its Official Rotten Tomatoes Score

Rom-com fans have had their eyes on Prime Video all September, and the wait has finally paid off. Ali Hazelwood’s bestselling novel ‘The Love Hypothesis’ spent 10 months on the New York Times Best Seller list after its 2021 release, and the story began its life even earlier as Reylo fan fiction inspired by the Star Wars characters Rey and Kylo Ren.

That fan-favorite romance officially hit Prime Video on Sept. 23, with Lili Reinhart starring as PhD candidate Olive Smith and Tom Bateman as intimidating professor Dr. Adam Carlsen. Claire Scanlon, who directed the streaming rom-com hit ‘Set It Up’, helmed the adaptation from a script by Sarah Rothschild.

Now Rotten Tomatoes has officially certified the film, and the result confirms what critics have been signaling since early reviews rolled in. ‘The Love Hypothesis’ is Certified Fresh, currently sitting at 76%. The site’s consensus reads that the film “follows a familiar rom-com formula, but its healthy dose of humor and palpable chemistry between Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman make it a satisfying comfort watch.”

Reviews have leaned largely positive, with plenty of praise directed at the film’s leads. IGN’s Tara Bennett gave the movie an 8 out of 10, writing that it is “a funny, sexy rom-com adaptation from page to screen,” and praised how “Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman bring the comedy and heat to Olive and Adam.”

Collider’s Carly Lane echoed that sentiment with her own 8 out of 10 score, calling the film “a successful experiment led by Reinhart and Bateman, and another mostly solid addition to the rom-com genre.” RogerEbert.com’s Marya E. Gates was similarly enthusiastic, writing that Scanlon is “back in fine form, effortlessly balancing a large ensemble of colorful side characters.”

Not every reviewer was won over. Mashable’s Belen Edwards felt the film was “missing one key ingredient that would truly make its experiment stick the landing: yearning,” while Screen Rant’s Liz Declan gave the movie a more critical 4 out of 10, pointing to a lack of chemistry between the leads.

Audience reaction on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter has landed around 78%, closely tracking the critics’ score. Some viewers praised the adaptation for capturing the book’s charm, while others felt the pacing was rushed compared to the source material.

Beyond Reinhart and Bateman, the film’s ensemble includes Rachel Marsh as Olive’s best friend Anh, along with Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White and Arty Froushan. Reinhart also serves as an executive producer on the project, a role she took on alongside her starring turn.

The film runs 110 to 112 minutes and was produced by MRC, Bisous Pictures and The Cantillon Company for Amazon MGM Studios.

For an adaptation carrying this much fan anticipation, landing Certified Fresh status is a meaningful validation. Prime Video has built a reputation for book-to-screen romances, and ‘The Love Hypothesis’ now joins that growing catalog with critical backing to match its built-in audience.

Official trailer for ‘THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS’ starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman. 🎥

Premiering September 23 on Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/cWMhjIHWci

— Film Crave (@_filmcrave) August 26, 2026

Whether the film becomes a rewatch staple for rom-com fans or simply a solid one-time watch, its Rotten Tomatoes standing suggests Hazelwood’s story translated to the screen better than many skeptics expected.

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