There is a decades-long argument about which is better – the book or the movie, and this same discussion can be had about stage musicals and the films they inspire. From wonders like In the Heights to stinkers such as Cats, people will never agree on whether Broadway or the silver screen can better interpret a musicals’ artistic value. Except now we can. Dear Evan Hansen, which was the Hamilton of Broadway the year after Hamilton came out, swept the Tony Awards and earned legions of devoted fans that couldn’t wait to see what the film adaptation would be like. Unfortunately, for me, them, and newcomers who want to know what the hype was about, the result misses the mark of everything the show is meant to be.
Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) is a teenager with crippling social anxiety where even answering the door to get a pizza from the delivery guy is nearly impossible. Nothing helps, especially his daily homework assignment from his therapist to write a letter to himself every day that starts with, “Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day, and here’s why.” Things really start to spiral when his latest pep talk gets stolen by fellow student Connor Murphy (Ryan Colton), who proceeds to go home and die by suicide. Connor’s parents, finding Evan’s letter in his pocket, think that Evan was his only friend and desperately look to him for answers as to how and why their son could do this. Evan makes up stories to help comfort them but as the lie begins to snowball, and he reaps the benefits of becoming popular and having Connor’s sister Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever) fall for him, he becomes lost in an illusion that might very well destroy him and everyone around him.
The good things I will say about Evan Hansen is that the songs do mostly work and can still be powerful, beautiful, and gut-wrenching. The frank discussions it has about mental illness and how it affects almost all of us are especially relevant in the age of COVID, and the idea that none of us are alone is important to hear and take to heart.
Things go downhill from there.
Let’s talk about the 28-year-old elephant in the room; Ben Platt is too old to be playing a high schooler. While some actors can pull this off, he looks like he is closer to 30 than 20, and while his performance as Evan is believable and well done, his being on screen is a huge distraction. This role will always have a part of him in it, but he should have passed the baton to a new actor as he did on Broadway.
Aside from Platt and Julianne Moore who plays Evan’s mom, Heidi, the rest of the cast feels bland and as if they are “acting” and not an organic part of the story. Amy Adams especially as Connor’s mom, Cynthia, gives a wholly lackluster performance which is sad and surprising considering what she is capable of.
The story also drags on and is barely held together by the bones of the songs that pop up too infrequently. With barely a skeleton in existence, the heart of the story is lost and withers away making it almost a mercy when the credits finally roll.
Evan Hansen is the example of how not to do a movie musical. Too slavish to the source material and unwilling to make changes and sacrifices that would benefit the story in a different medium, it completely forgets what made it such an emotional and magical masterpiece in the theater. It ends up being too beholden to what it feels is sacred and is overcome by its own hubris. Considering that its overarching message is that we all have a place, it alienates newcomers and those who have loved it all along, which makes it as heartbreaking as the story it wants to tell.
In light of the subject matter, I would like to include that if you or anyone you know is feeling how Connor did, please know there is help available to you and them at the Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255.