The Love Hypothesis, the romantic comedy starring Lili Reinhart, is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. It is a movie adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s 2021 romance novel, which began life as fanfiction posted online in 2018. The book follows Olive Smith, a PhD student at Stanford University, who agrees to a fake relationship with her professor, Dr. Adam Caslsen, played by Tom Bateman.
Sarah Rothschild adapted the screenplay, and Claire Scanlon directed the film. The movie follows Olive, played by Reinhart, as she studies at Stanford while trapped in a scheme that turns into something real.
Reinhart’s Fake Relationship at Stanford
Olive is a PhD student at Stanford University. The premise is simple: she agrees to pretend to date her professor, Dr. Adam Caslsen, to smooth over a professional problem. What starts as a transaction ends up changing both of them. Reinhart plays Olive, and Bateman plays Caslsen.
The cast also includes Rachel Marsh, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, and Arty Froushan.
From Fanfiction to Screen
The novel began as fanfiction posted online in 2018 before being published as a standalone romance in 2021. That history shaped how the movie treats its setting. The book’s world is built around a university, and the filmmakers wanted that world to feel lived-in.
Scanlon told The Hollywood Reporter that grounding the story was central to her approach. “I really felt strongly that this should be a grounded, very lived-in world; that it’s not an anomaly,” she said. “That it felt like Stanford. It was shot in Montreal. We did a day in Caltech, which I really think helped.”
The Film Was Shot in Montreal
The movie was filmed on location in Montreal, Canada, and the surrounding area. The shoot lasted two months, from July through August 2025. According to the IMDB production page, many of the “Stanford” scenes were filmed at Concordia University, a real university in Montreal that stood in for Stanford.
A little Reddit sleuthing reveals that the production filmed lab scenes at science labs on Concordia’s Loyola Campus. Reinhart shared a selfie in one of those labs during filming. Other Redditors noted that other Stanford scenes were shot at John Abbott, a small college in Montreal, as well as some exteriors at McGill’s Macdonald campus.
Why Montreal Stood In For Stanford
The decision to shoot in Montreal made sense for several reasons. Montreal is a major city with a dense university district, which meant production could find institutional settings that matched the look of a research university. The Loyola Campus, in particular, offered science labs that fit the story’s academic scenes.
The production also used John Abbott and McGill’s Macdonald campus for other scenes. Those smaller institutions added variety to the background without requiring entirely new sets. For a film that needed to feel like Stanford, Montreal offered enough institutional architecture to do the job.
| Location | Role in the film |
|---|---|
| Concordia University | Main stand-in for Stanford |
| Loyola Campus, Concordia | Lab scenes |
| John Abbott College | Additional exterior scenes |
| McGill’s Macdonald campus | Additional exterior scenes |
| Caltech | One day of shooting |
Caltech Got Only One Day
Scanlon’s comment to The Hollywood Reporter points to a specific choice: the production spent one day at Caltech in California. That single day of shooting was intended to add verisimilitude, to give the film a touch of the actual place the story is set in.
The rest of the movie was shot in Montreal. The Caltech visit was a small addition, not a major relocation of the entire production. It was a practical move rather than a stylistic one.
What This Means for Viewers
The film’s production choices are visible in the final product. The university buildings in the movie look like real institutions, but they are not the real Stanford. That distinction matters for anyone who wants to see the actual campus.
The film’s visual world is coherent and specific. It looks like a university, even if the specific building names belong to Montreal institutions. The choice to shoot in Montreal kept costs down while still delivering a believable setting.
The Grounded World Scanlon Wanted
Scanlon’s comments suggest she approached the project with a clear idea of what it should feel like. She wanted the world to feel lived-in, not staged. That meant shooting in a real university setting, even if it was not the exact one from the book.
The single day at Caltech was a small but deliberate choice. It added a touch of authenticity without requiring the whole production to move to California. The result is a film that feels grounded in its setting.
A Practical Choice That Works
The production team made a practical choice with a creative payoff. Montreal offered the right look at a lower cost than shooting at the actual Stanford campus. The Loyola Campus labs gave the film its scientific interiors, and the other campuses provided the exteriors.
The Caltech visit was a small but meaningful detail. It gave the film a touch of the actual place the story is set in, without demanding a full-scale relocation.
The Love Hypothesis is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now. The film’s production choices are part of what makes it work. A university setting is easy to fake, but a lived-in world takes care.
Scanlon’s approach paid off. The film looks like Stanford, even though it was shot in Montreal. That is a compliment to the production team, not a knock against the finished product.
Source material: “Where Was ‘The Love Hypothesis’ Movie Filmed? Discover ‘The Love Hypothesis’ Filming Locations for Lili Reinhart’s Romance,” Decider.
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