Film adaptation of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul about Evan Hansen, a high-school senior with a severe social-anxiety disorder, whose letter to himself that was not meant to be seen by others, lands wrongly into the hands of a classmate who, as a result, commits suicide. This incident sends Evan on a journey of self-discovery and gives him the chance to finally be accepted by his peers and live the life he never drea... (Full plot summary below)
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Film adaptation of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical by Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul about Evan Hansen, a high-school senior with a severe social-anxiety disorder, whose letter to himself that was not meant to be seen by others, lands wrongly into the hands of a classmate who, as a result, commits suicide. This incident sends Evan on a journey of self-discovery and gives him the chance to finally be accepted by his peers and live the life he never dreamed he could have.
Leave your thoughts about Dear Evan Hansen.
| Washington PostThomas FloydBy scaling back the script’s laughs and excising four songs (plus countless reprises), the film at times lands in an uncanny valley between the heightened musical at its core and the weightier young adult drama Chbosky seems to have envisioned. |
| Original-CinKaren GordonThe film version of the multiple Tony Award–winning hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen is a mixed bag and a wonky adaptation that doesn’t always quite scan. Yet I’d be lying if I didn’t say that despite its flaws, it’s also strangely affecting. |
| The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Johanna SchnellerThe songs are clever; the actors dig in (especially Amy Adams and Julianne Moore as Connor and Evan’s moms, respectively). And Ben Platt’s voice is undeniable, a thing of wonder, a pure emotion-delivery system. You will be moved. |
| Film ThreatAlan NgIf you’ve ever felt alone and ignored in life, Dear Evan Hansen may touch you in profound ways. |
| TheWrapSteve PondIt’s messy at times and melodramatic at others, and its treatment of mental health issues is not the most nuanced, but those feel like quibbles given the joy you can find in its best moments. |
| Los Angeles TimesCharles McNultySorry, haters, the film isn’t a train wreck. This musical, which had its Broadway premiere in 2016, works better in the theater. But the translation to the screen is smoother than expected. |
| Rolling StoneDavid FearYou see Evan Hansen, all of his flaws and desires and self-loathing laid bare. And there are enough of these goosebump-inducing, epiphanic moments courtesy of the actor that you see why people might love this film as well as cringe at it. Platt does not ruin the movie. He singlehandedly gives it a voice. |
| New York Magazine (Vulture)Helen ShawThat magnetic, musical pull toward Evan is at work in Chbosky’s movie version. But now the pull is coupled with a powerful push — in other words, repulsion — that keeps us from being seduced. |
| EmpireIan FreerDear Evan Hansen gives enjoyable, tuneful voice to important modern-day concerns but lacks the dramatic and cinematic chops to really take flight. |
| The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenA weakness for the formulaic, combined with a noticeably weighty running time, continually bumps up against the film’s many fine points. |
