Dear Evan Hansen Movie Review

May I start by asking filmmakers to help me out? Please stop having people shove their heads into the toilet, vomiting out their stomach-churning panic and dread every time they’re upset! I’ve seen more heads in toilets than I ever saw after a frat party! I, for one, would like to say that it’s getting old.

Anyway, I had no idea that “Dear Evan Hansen” was a Broadway musical until I heard of this film. After watching, I will be going to see it if it comes anywhere near me. More musicals? Yes, please! From “Rent,” to “Moulin Rouge” to “The Greatest Showman” and even the latest adaptation of “Cinderella,” I love going to movies to watch a musical play out before my eyes; it’s music to my ears. Did I go too far? Probably, but that’s how much I like them! They excite me. Then to find out that Stephen Chbosky (of the coming-of-age drama “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) is the director? Count me in. I’m not getting to New York anytime soon, and I don’t think these shows are coming near me, so why not! I’ll trust Chbosky.

I digress. The icing on the cake is that the music and lyrics are written by the Oscar®, Grammy and Tony-winning songwriting duo, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, from the aforementioned “The Greatest Showman.”
The script is written for the screen by Tony Award Winner Steven Levenson. It doesn’t get any better than that… or does it? Well, it does. The star of the film is Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt, who played the anxiety-riddled teenager Evan Hansen both in the Off-Broadway Cast and in the Original Broadway Cast. Speaking of his awards, collectively, there are a plethora of them for the people involved in making this film. I’ve lost count because there are so many! I haven’t even gotten to the other cast members yet! But let’s get to the main storyline.

A big part of the narrative is based on what people, mostly teens, are going through because of social media. It shows us how it’s used for good and evil, highlighting how toxic it can be. Not that you need reminders of it. You may have been a victim of targeted harassment on social media yourself. But, this movie is an example of how one can overcome their fear and trepidation of the platforms that can eat you alive… and of life, in general.
At his high school, we see Evan gingerly walk through the halls, unsought and unnoticed. It looks as if he prefers to be anonymous. That said, more is learned about our subject’s background as the story continues and we see this is not the case.
He’s depressed. He’s lonely and sullen. As it turns out, outside of his friend Jared (Nik Dodani), Evan has no friends to turn to and feels that because of this, he has no future. How does one go on if this is the case?

Before the new school year began, it was suggested to him by his therapist that he write letters to himself. These letters are to be words of encouragement, reminding him of what he wants in life and prompting him to be more confident. So, he performs the exercise. He may write the words, but how he truly feels about how things are going is captured in the song “Waving Through a Window” with lines asking, ‘Will anyone wave back at me?’
He likes a girl named Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever) but is so apprehensive, he can’t muster the strength to even shake Zoe’s hand. When he attempts to trust someone, just a little, that someone being Zoe’s brother Connor (Colton Ryan), he’s made fun of. Obviously. It’s to be expected at this juncture. Once that daily burden is out of the way, one of the letters he wrote to himself, which starts as he always starts them, “Dear Evan Hansen,” is swiped from his hand. The next day, his entire life is transformed.

The story is somewhat all over the place from there. Evan’s life changes, but so do the storylines of some of the characters. The most significant message to come from the film is that you never know who is hurting. Even someone with a seemingly perfect life can be an Evan. Perhaps bullying is a way of signaling their pain.
I did enjoy the film and believe you will, too, if you like musicals. Most of the voices singing the songs are beautiful and the lyrics are powerful. As a straight-up drama, it may just be more of the same, a lot less impressive than most, even. So keep that in mind when choosing your entertainment this weekend.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://uni.pictures/DEHfb

Twitter: https://uni.pictures/DEHtw

Instagram: https://uni.pictures/DEHig

Website: https://uni.pictures/DEHsite