Dear Evan Hansen
Directed by Stephen Chbosky
★★½
BylinePhoto Credit: Erika Doss/Universal PicturesCaption(from left) Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) and Heidi Hansen (Julianne Moore) in Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Stephen Chbosky.Copyright© 2021 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved.
Well, at least it's not Cats. Or, maybe we’ve all been too hard on Cats, because, awful as it may be, that film at least took some batshit chances. Whereas, the only batshit chance Dear Evan Hansen takes is in the casting of its geriatric, pseudo-teenage lead.
Once a Tony award winning Broadway smash, this silver screen adaptation sees Ben Platt reprising his role as the titular character. Upon the suicide of a fellow classmate, Hansen falls into a web of lies that started out as good intentioned, but ends up being self-serving to the detriment of himself and those who surround him.
This schmaltzy, well-intentioned flick is full to the brim of close up, longing shots of actors quietly musing a morose pop aside, and if you find that sort of generic repetitiveness appealing, then God damn it, this is for you. But, for those of us looking for more than a stacked cast (made up of Julianne Moore, Amy Adams and Kaitlyn Dever) and morbid musical stylings, Dear Evan Hansen falls short on almost everything (except that almost 2 ½ hour runtime).
Platt is getting a lot of flack for being a near thirty year old playing a senior in high school, and while this happens a lot in Hollywood (I’m looking at you Outer Banks and Pretty Little Liars) it's hard not to notice Platt’s receding hairline and makeup-caked face. Try as he might, his performance comes off somewhat awkward, reminiscent of Rachel Dratch playing high schooler Debbie Downer on SNL. Platt is a fine actor and a terrific singer, but his manic awkwardness coupled with the way he carries himself may have worked six years ago in the broadway debut, but not so much now through the 4k lens of the camera. Also, it's hard to ignore the fact that a decade ago Platt played a freshman in college in Pitch Perfect.
Adams, Dever and Danny Pino, playing the family of Hansen’s classmate who killed himself, each have some really strong moments where they get to shine. However, it is Moore who, unsurprisingly, delivers a show-stealing number toward the end of the film, that cements her as the beating heart of the film, making it truly insane that she hasn’t been in any sort of musical before.
Ultimately, Dear Evan Hansen means well, but it's familiar sound, bland directing and odd casting make it a mixed bag overall. Which is a shame, considering how profound it could have truly been.
