For moviegoers whose first introduction to Dear Evan Hansen is watching a Trailer and deciding to go out for a fun evening at the movies, it is important to note that this is a movie adaptation of the 2016 Tony Award-winning play.
For the unprepared, discovering the movie is a musical caused many moviegoers to snicker at the bursting out into song which seemed clumsy in its introduction.
Ben Platt (who is 28 as of the date of this review) plays Evan Hansen in the film and is getting a lot of criticism for being too old to play a teenager. But I will give credit where it is due; age aside, he pulls you into his lonesomeness and angst; he draws you into the character despite the obvious challenges of his age.
For the role, he lost weight, let his hair grow out, and too obviously uses his body to create the look of a scared teenager by slumping and physically retracting into himself. He is talented, but talent cannot make up for the fact the movie misses its mark in many ways.
The Lowdown
The film is about a teenager who is suffering from severe social anxiety for which he is on medications and under the guidance of a therapist. He thinks he has one friend, Jared (Nik Dodani) who when asked by Evan to sign his cast “…because we’re friends.” responds with “We’re family friends, Evan. That is entirely different; please respect that.”. This harsh response from his friend seems to roll off of Evan’s back and you understand that this is the norm for him.
Evan has been assigned to write letters to himself as part of his therapy. Connor Murphy played by Colton Ryan having just attempted to connect with Evan by signing his cast “there, now we can both pretend to have friends…” finds the letter Evan had accidentally printed. And discovering his sister written about, Connor confronts Evan and screams at him before running out of school and committing suicide.
When Connor is found he has Evan’s therapy letter in his pocket. Connor’s parents assume that it was his suicide letter to his friend; they then come to school to meet Evan in the hope of learning about their son’s friend and by extension more about their son.
Evan who is not emotionally equipped to engage socially with his peers, cannot deal with the shock of having found out Connor is dead or the much heavier burden of stealing his family’s hope and ultimately decides to lie regarding his relationship with their son.
This lie evolves into newfound notice and acceptance among his peers, inclusion in a family setting that he lacks at home, and a love interest for Evan with Zoe Murphy played by Kaitlyn Dever.
Is it Worth My Time and Money?
Fans of the play are disappointed in the casting and teenagers will feel a tug at the heartstrings. But unless the average moviegoer is willing to overlook a grown man cast as a high schooler, awkward bursts into song, a storyline that tries too hard to make a point, you might wish you stayed home and rewatched The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Can I Take My Children to See it?
The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned.
- Themes of depression, drug use, and suicide may be concerning to parents
- Scattered use of strong language
- Sexual jokes
- Refferences to homosexuality
Was There Anything Offensive In It?
In today’s world, not many people are offended by homosexuality but may be offended at what seems to be an agenda of acceptance being propagated. This movie has a message of homosexual normality throughout, even down to posters for the LGBTQ strategically hung in the background. While it is more widely accepted today, homosexuality is still very much a minority and can pose a problem for Christians.
As Christians we love all people; Love the sinner, hate the sin; but we do have the right and responsibility to teach our children well and if this is a concern to you, then I suggest you either have a direct conversation with your children before taking them to see this movie or sit it out.
The Bottom Line
For a lite end of the summer movie, you could do worse, especially with so little variety in theaters currently. But overall, this movie is better suited to watching on TV when you have nothing else to watch.