Prime Video's New R-Rated Star Wars Counterpart Officially Clinches Stellar Rotten Tomatoes Score

Published Sep 22, 2026, 6:15 PM EDT Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show. Prime Video's new Star Wars counterpart is an experimental success. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) had a complicated relationship during Star Wars' sequel trilogy. The romantic tension inspired plenty of Reylo fanfic, including Ali Hazelwood's 2021 novel The Love Hypothesis, where a Ph.D. candidate and a professor fake date at Stanford University. The book became a bestseller, and Prime Video has adapted the story for the screen, much like its original influence. The Star Wars connections don't end there; coincidentally, Ridley's husband, Tom Bateman, portrays Kylo Ren's counterpart, Dr. Adam Carlsen, named after Driver, while Lili Reinhart plays the Rey equivalent. Prime Video has concluded its study with critics, and the results are finally in. With a sample size of 17 reviews, The Love Hypothesis debuts to a strong 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. If that score holds, the adaptation would be Reinhart's second-highest-rated movie and Bateman's third-best. Meanwhile, The Love Hypothesis falls short of outpacing Star Wars: The Force Awakens (93%) and The Last Jedi (91%), but has completely surpassed The Rise of Skywalker (51%). Reviews for The Love Hypothesis praised the adaptation as mostly faithful to Hazelwood's novel. The science background also makes the story feel more real and grounded, as the movie delivers a refreshing take on the romcom tropes with an exploration of the research world and struggles of female scientists. Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) 93% 84% Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) 91% 41% Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) 51% 86% The Love Hypothesis (2026) 88% N/A The movie also doesn't hold back on the R-rating, delivering a steamy romantic tone, while Reinhart gave an enchanting, down-to-earth portrayal of Olive. Meanwhile, the adaptation doesn't skimp on the Star Wars references, including Bateman's deep voice and the all-black fashion, a nod to Kylo Ren. However, critics also agree that the adaptation is not without limitations. While the individual performances were praised, reviews were split over the chemistry between Reinhart and Bateman, with some arguing that the dynamic lacked spark. According to ScreenRant's Liz Declan, the movie also succumbs to the shortcomings of its genre, as it "has many bits of dialogue that fell flat and scenes in which a character's motivations are unclear and/or poorly explained." Meanwhile, reviews also criticized the story's pacing and structure, especially the abrupt third act. The fanfic, originally called Head Over Feet, was published in 2018 and soon became a novel in 2021, where it became a BookTok sensation. The book was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Romance but fell short of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation, which was also adapted earlier this year. Since the movie's development, the cosmic coincidence of Bateman's casting went viral. In December 2025, Ridley shared her reaction with Collider, confessing that she "didn’t remember what the thing was" when her husband auditioned for the role. Nevertheless, she saw some of the movie and called it "charming." Meanwhile, Bateman told ScreenRant that he "wasn't aware" of the connection, but it "made me very excited to be part of it." Claire Scanlon directed The Love Hypothesis, while Sarah Rothschild penned the screenplay. Rachel Marsh, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, and Arty Froushan are the supporting cast. The Love Hypothesis will stream on Prime Video on September 23, 2026. Release Date September 23, 2026 Director Claire Scanlon Writers Sarah Rothschild Producers Elizabeth Cantillon Cast Lili Reinhart Olive Smith Tom Bateman Dr. Adam Carlsen