“Dear Evan Hansen” Review
Ben Platt stars in “Dear Evan Hansen” as the titular character, reprising his Broadway role in this musical adaptation of the stage show.
Sometimes I just don’t understand the average moviegoer. I can admit that. It wasn’t that long ago that musical films like “La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman” and “A Star is Born” were box office sensations but, this year, both “In The Heights” and the recently released “Dear Evan Hansen” did poorly in ticket sales.
Maybe people don’t want to go to theaters due to COVID-19 or maybe they’re just tired of musicals but both answers are equally depressing for me. While not nearly as good as other musicals in the past few years, “Dear Evan Hansen” had more than enough positive elements, good songs and powerful actors to make it a relatively worthwhile experience.
Based on the Tony Award-winning stage musical, the film stars Ben Platt as the titular high schooler who suffers from social anxiety and depression with no one seeming to notice him. His best friend Jared (Nik Dodani) isn’t even a friend, just an acquaintance he knows because their mothers are friends, and his crush Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever) doesn’t even know he exists. As an assignment from his therapist, Evan writes a letter to himself pouring out his insecurities which is then taken by social outcast Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan).
A few days later, Connor’s parents (Amy Adams and Danny Pino) tell Evan that Connor took his own life and that Evan’s letter was found in his pocket, leading them to believe that Evan was Connor’s best friend. Rather than tell the grieving family the truth, Evan tells them that they were friends and fabricates memories of Connor to relieve their pain. When a growing movement in Connor’s name ensues to help children with mental health issues and Evan is asked to be the frontrunner of it, Evan must choose whether or not to reveal the truth while also battling his own insecurities.
First of all, let me address the elephant in the room: Ben Platt is way too old to be playing a high schooler. This is a controversy that has plagued the film before it was even released and it does have some weight. As much as I love Ben Platt in “Pitch Perfect” and “The Politician,” the 28-year-old actor just no longer looks like a high schooler even though digital de-aging effects were used. While twenty-something actors playing teenagers is nothing new, Dever is 24 and she still looks like she belongs in high school in this film, there comes a time when you just don’t look that age and Platt has passed that.
However, to be fair, I understand why Platt was chosen to play this role because he originated the role on Broadway (when he was 21-years-old) and won a Tony for his performance as Evan Hansen. Actors have reprised their roles from Broadway in the past like Rex Harrison in “My Fair Lady” or Olga Merediz in “In The Heights” and this was clearly another instance of a talented actor bringing a role to another medium. If you can get past the age, and I understand that not everyone will, Platt’s performance is actually really good.
Platt brings the sensitivity of his original role to the film and, as usual, is an amazing singer. For the entire film, Platt had me in the palm of his hand with his sweet demeanor and his understandable predicament. How could you tell these people the truth when they’re already hurting so much?
Other notable performances include Amy Adams and Danny Pino as both Connor and Zoe’s parents and Julianne Moore as Evan’s mother. All three of them want to be there for their kids but find themselves not always able to connect with them due to their own lives like how Evan’s mother must work lots of night shifts at the hospital to keep things afloat. Amandla Stenberg also delivers a powerful performance as Alana, a student activist who starts The Connor Project to honor his memory. Her character is very interesting as she seems to be very outgoing but is dealing with her own mental health troubles and wants to use The Connor Project to help others who are in pain. An original song, “The Anonymous Ones,” was created for the film for Alana and is one of the best parts of the film.
Kaitlyn Dever’s (Right) portrayl of Zoe is one of the best parts of the film and shows off another side of the actor’s work.
But my favorite actor in the film is Kaitlyn Dever who is very vulnerable as Zoe as she comprehends her brother’s suicide. Since they didn’t get along, she doesn't know whether to feel sad or not. Her growth throughout the film is very compelling and her singing was really fantastic. This is her first musical performance that I can recall, unless you count her playing the autoharp and softly singing along to her music in “Booksmart,” and she is really investing.
When it comes to whether you will enjoy the film, it depends on whether you can get past the age of Ben Platt and the nature of the film’s story. Because the main struggle in Evan is whether to tell the truth or not, the film is setting up a “liar reveal” narrative which has been seen in films like “A Bug’s Life” or “Aladdin.” If you aren’t a big fan of this type of story, then this might not appeal to you. However, I found that, even though you know what Evan is going to do, the way the film handles Evan’s decision is very mature, meaningful and even changes elements of the musical for the better.
The music, written and composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, is as great as you can expect from the team behind the songs for “The Greatest Showman” and the lyrics of “La La Land.” These songs help evoke emotion and serve a variety of feelings like being hopeful, melancholy or both. While I’ve never seen the stage musical, seeing the film and these songs make me want to see it live.
Stephen Chobsky, director of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “Wonder,” made this film and he was a good choice to tell the story of school kids and their troubles, as it does coincide with his filmography. Overall, the way he handles the complicated emotions of the story and brings the stage show into the cinematic medium is visually fantastic.
Amandla Stenberg’s performance as Alana was very hopeful and her performance of the original song “The Anonymous Ones” was a welcomed addition to the soundtrack.
However, the editing of the musical sequences was puzzling, particularly for the songs “Only Us” or “Waving Through A Window,” because it seems like some sequences were shot to look like one continuous take, like in classic Hollywood musicals or “La La Land,” but the editing chopped it up to where it’s distracting. The musical sequences aren’t evenly spaced out to the point where when one musical number came into the film, I had to remind myself that this was a musical. If the film had been trimmed by five to ten minutes, it would have benefited the film.
“Dear Evan Hansen” isn’t the best adaptation of this story that was possible and some viewers might not be able to get past the age of Ben Platt or the “liar reveal” aspect of the story. While it’s not perfect, I still found the experience of watching this film worth it because the film reminded me of the troubles high schoolers face. Today, high schoolers face a growing level of insecurity, anxiety and image issues that have only been fueled by social media and the divisive nature of the American high school.
I know either current or recently graduated high schoolers who struggle with feelings of loneliness and depression because they haven’t found acceptance within their school and their community. They haven’t found acceptance because they’re LGBTQ+, they’ve gone through a traumatic experience or they simply don’t fit in. Many teenagers and twenty-year-olds feel like they aren’t being listened to and it’s a theme of youth that extends as far back as James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause.” But it still doesn’t mean that it’s not easy. In fact, it’s much harder when many adults, who have most likely experienced those same feelings, turn today’s youth away and don’t simply listen to their problems.
What I fear is that, like the musical that preceded it and Chobsky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” the film will be criticised for glorifying mental illness and shaming the filmmakers for showing what today’s teens are going through with no sense of humanity as they ignore the real problems. If you’re tired of seeing it, imagine how terrible it is living it. “Dear Evan Hansen” is there to remind teens that they aren’t alone and that there are many people out there who feel just like you do. While this movie may not appeal to everyone, as it’s not without its flaws, I think that there’s more to this film than people are letting on.
