Directed By Stephen Chbosky

Starring – Ben Platt, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever

The Plot – 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 (Platt) 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.

Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving suicide, brief strong adult language, and some suggestive references

dear evan hansen trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

– Voice of the voiceless. Once more, Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) has cemented himself as the John Hughes for this generation by placing value, heft, and especially dignity to a teenage narrative. Because of such, he fleshes out his characters with an internal delve that is maintained just as importantly as the various interactions that we intepret in real time, giving each of them a depth in conscience that not only articulates the overwhelming anxiety instilled from such a tender and frail age, but also one that immerses audiences seamlessly within the elements of the environment that mentally transform us to a particular place in time. Chobosky stays close to his titular protagonist, using the musical accompaniment as these internal open windows to the soul that illustrates a bigger picture in psychology, all the while simultaneously tapping into the many diverse personalities and school hierarchy that surround him that highlight an internal bond that persists even when the characters themselves don’t realize it.

– Seamless transfer. Emulating a play for the silver screen doesn’t always bring with it the most satisfying of experiences that respects the authenticity of the source material, while enhancing the entertainment factor for an audience preferring film over musicals. But “Dear Evan Hansen” is different in this regard, crafting a low-key musical that is anything but a full blown spectacle, allowing the isolation and internal resonance of Evan to persist faithfully throughout. In addition to this, the presentation itself plays its hand capably at expanding the obvious limitations obstructed on-stage, especially the versatility in the corresponding cinematography from Brandon Trost, which often uses outside elements in visuals to influence the moody consistency of the music. Finally, the cutting of three tracks from the musical does help to compliment an already bloated run time (131 minutes), without taking away anything palpable or important with regards to characterization or storytelling. The time itself, while long, I feel is justifiably acceptable, especially considering there’s many ingredients in and around this story needed to turn the gears accordingly, finalizing the safest of approaches in its rendering that is as faithful as a stage show can hope for.

– Stirring portrayals. Much has been made about Ben Platt’s casting in playing a high school senior as a 27-year-old in real life, as well as the inevitable nepotism that stems from his father being a producer on the film. For my money, neither of these aspects ever ruined my investment or believability towards the picture, and when compliments by Platt’s intentionally timid enveloping, gives an authentically rich embodying with regards to teenage awkwardness that felt cohesive with the suffocating atmosphere of hallowed halls, where nobody knows you exist. On a visual spectrum, the actor’s personal choice to grow his hair bushy to play into the disorienting state of teenage appearance helps with the transformation, and when coupled with sagging, lifeless body language, plays into a complete transformation for Platt that proves no one could’ve done it better. There’s also complimentary turns from Dever, whose tough exterior initially gives way to a frailty for grieving emotionality that makes her a captivating presence, cementing an arc that is just as gripping as Evan’s. Also endearing are turns from legendary leading ladies Amy Adams and Julianne Moore, as well as a typecast-breaking turn from one of my on-screen crushes, Amandla Stenberg, as an honor student with her own similarities to Evan.

– Meticulous cuts. Easily the single greatest aspect of production within the confines of the movie’s technical aspects is the patience within the editing, which creates a somber uneasiness with audience investment. These were the moments when my anxiety of high school really came back to life, as the various long takes that squeeze and stretch levity to the point when you’re practically begging for it bring these tense situations to life in ways that no other moments can remotely touch, giving us a registered sense of Evan’s plight, which I previously mentioned in Chbosky’s decorated direction. The musical sequences are just as effective, but this time in bottling the captivity within the authenticity of these actors turned musicians, that leave no doubt about the legitimacy of their heavy lifting.

– Culturally revealing. Even with an abundance of problems with the movie’s characters or moral fiber, which I will cover in-depth in a second, the film still is able to supplant some compelling social commentary through its various extra’s that say a lot about how we as a culture interpret and respond to death. Sometimes we see it on social media, where toxic comments and retorts blur the line of sensitivity, attaining various hordes of followers who join in on the cause because the majority urges them to. Others pertain to carving out a narrative for the deceased that simply isn’t reality, be it with a friendship or memories that no one can possibly call them on. It alludes to this fictional victimization that far too many want in on for the benefits of attention or adulation, and further distorts the relevance of those dearly departed for the sake of creating a fictional connection that can be felt most typically in celebrity deaths during contemporary times.

NEGATIVES

– Morally bankrupt. To put it bluntly, I hated almost every character in this film, especially Evan himself, who is as unappealing of a protagonist as anyone I’ve encountered on-screen in recent memory. The big part of the problem here is Evan’s immaturity is blamed not only for the lie he continuously perpetuates in fooling others to get what he wants, but also in the movie’s manipulative framing, which use depression as a means to not hold people personally accountable. Because of such, Evan never really pays a consequence for the magnitude of deceit within the community that took him from desperate loner to social media celebrity overnight, resolving matters in a frustratingly naive way that is every bit underwhelming as it is irresponsible in teaching a lesson to impressionable audiences. Beyond Evan, his cohorts are equally irredeemable, feeling selfish enough on their own merits, but made even worse for the way they use a tragedy as a means to enhance their own counterfeit compassion. Some of them use it as a springboard to pad their own accomplishments, others construct a pity party for the lack of relationship to the deceased that they themselves did nothing to ease, and others take a selfish approach in their attempt at easing Evan’s grief. The longer you spend with these people, the longer you want to crawl into the grave with the deceased, giving food for thought on why he left this Earth in the first place.

– Underscored emphasis. While being a topic that is entirely subjective, the musical tracks and corresponding performances left plenty more to be desired when compared to some of my favorite musicals that have come out in recent years. Considering the music in the film is composed by the same minds responsible for “La La Land”, my favorite film of 2016, it’s a bit disappointing that nothing assorted here is remotely memorable or infectious as the predecessor. Certainly the tonal limitations play into an unforeseen handicap for the film, remaining mostly disparaging or downtrodden for the occasions, which makes it difficult to feel inspired by. However, the bigger problem stems more from the performances themselves, which are not only cluttered with a claustrophobia of autotuned encompassing, but lyrically remain one-note throughout the duration of the film. It’s like hearing the same song seven or eight times, every five minutes or so, outlining as subdued of a movie musical as I’ve ever seen put to film.

– Tone deaf. Whether in the distinction of a first act that feels enhancingly more poppy and spirited than the other two, or a series of situations in which I don’t know whether to laugh or feel saddened by, there’s a sharp tonal inconsistency to the film that dejects the connection between the movie to the audience, and makes for scenes that are tense for all of the wrong reasons. There are two such examples that I care to mention. One involves Dever’s character bringing up her deceased father after Evan mentions his runaway dad, to which she says “That means I win”, and another situation involving Evan’s mother messing up the name of one of his stories during a dinner date, with everyone correcting her. These are moments that should be played for comedy, but are instead delivered and directed as abrupt conflicts in the context of the scene. This kind of tonal ambiguity confused and contorted my interpretation, and took away from the endearing atmosphere of the movie’s second half, which felt less confrontational, shoe-horning melodrama of the worst kind for scenes that are nothing more than an afterthought to the following scene.

– Melodramatic material. This film is easily one of the most manipulative and boring films of the entire year, if even just for the way it weaves a web of pandering dialogue that softies are incapable of shaking. On that spectrum, the self-wallowing and redundant pity unleashed from various characters makes this high school too shallow for The Breakfast Club to even attend, leading to several deliveries so cringe-worthy that I feared for my eyelids falling off, for how much I was rolling them rampantly throughout. I can let it off the hook occasionally with regards to a film preconditioned to be a drama, but the consistency of its wallowing never evolves beyond torturing itself continuously, giving us an experience too heavy-handed and immature to explore mental illness with the kind of respect that doesn’t use it as a mere plot device that is purely topical, for the sake of temporary characterization.

My Grade: 5/10 or D