DEAR EVAN HANSEN – Review

And a week later we’re back in the messy, stress-filled, anxiety-inducing halls of high school in this new film. Oh, this has songs too, since it’s also based on a musical produced for the stage. But that may be where the similarities end (well, Daddy’s not running the house). EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAIMIE is set in the UK, Sheffield specifically, with a lead character who’s fairly happy, though he yearns to follow his drag diva dreams. Across the pond, in the US in an unnamed sunny suburb (probably in the West, with mostly Atlanta, again, based-locations), this title character (he gets his full name, though) doesn’t really have such long-term goals. He’s just trying to “push on” while remaining essentially invisible to his classmates. Oh, and this tale tackles life and death issues, really. Plus it was a big Tony winner back in 2015. And all the songs and drama stem from a letter that opens with DEAR EVAN HANSEN.

Actually, those are the first words we see, on a computer monitor. Nervous, always anxious Evan (Ben Platt) is completing the daily assignment given to him (along with a prescription for lots of meds) by his therapist. It’s a letter to himself, a sort of written “pep talk’, pushing him to assert himself and strive for positivity. He’s interrupted by a phone call from mother Heidi (Julianne Moore) who has to work later at the hospital (she’s gotta pick up shifts since her hubby went AWOL years ago). Soon Evan arrives for the first day of his senior year of high school. He dashes to the gym where he helps run the audio system for the big “welcome assembly” alongside old “family friend”, the snarky Jared (Nik Dodani). As usual, Evan pines for the band’s cute guitarist, Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever). Unfortunately, Evan runs afoul of her sullen brother Conner (Colton Ryan) in the computer room. After writing his name in huuuge letters on Evan’s arm cast, Connor snatches up Evan’s daily letter from the single printer. Incensed at the mention of his sister in it, Connor storms off with the letter. Days later, Evan is called into the principal’s office where he meets Connor’s distraught parents, Cynthia (Amy Adams) and Larry (Danny Pino). It seems their son took his own life and the only note found was Evan’s stolen letter. Cynthia believes it was written by Connor and that he and Evan were “secret” BFFs. In an effort to give them some comfort, a flustered Evan lies. This lie leads to others as he and Jared compose more “fake” emails for a “fake” secret online account. Soon Evan is coming over to Cynthia’s home, mostly to be closer to Zoe. But things get more complicated when the very popular Alana (Amandla Sternberg) approaches Evan about raising funds for a suicide prevention program dubbed “The Connor Project”. When his speech goes viral, Evan finds himself drowning in a sea of deception. Can he stay adrift or will he be dragged down in the depths of (well-intentioned) deceit?

Reprising his Tony-winning role, Platt easily works past the media speculations about his “aging-out” of the seventeen-year-old (hey look at most teen TV dramas from a few decades ago) and is achingly believable as the awkward, twitchy Evan. His social awkwardness is expertly conveyed by Platt’s body language as he walks stiffly with shoulders haunched and arms never veeringly far from the torso. This also heightens his musical numbers as his confident singing makes up for his character’s stunted verbal skills. As his fib grows we see him start to blossom (thanks to Zoe, perhaps), occasionally lashing out (poor mum), but that “skittish mouse” is always there, especially when the “social walls” begin to close in. As Zoe, Dever projects a lot of the rebellious, but still accessible “cool kid” vibe as she delves into her complex family issues (at the dinner table she’s the unfiltered “voice of truth”). As for the main adults, Adams as Cynthia is vulnerable and somewhat fragile as she uses the “letter’ as a lifeline that will soften her grief, holding on to a fantasy of her son with her last bit of strength. Pino as Larry tries to be the “solid anchor’ for the floundering family, but he’s trying to push down his own feelings of anger at rage (over Connor, but mainly directed at himself). Though she’s absent (dashing through the hospital) for most of the tale’s midsection, Moore is strong but somewhat oblivious as the frazzled, but proud Heidi, who truly thinks her son has defeated his past demons (and Moore does well with her solo song). Sternberg is quite compelling as the high school “joiner” and organizer whose bright smile is her shield against her own insecurities as she and Evan bond over their mood-altering meds. Ryan, in a pivotal role with little screen time, ably handles the different “versions” of the volatile Connor, truly scary in hisreal encounter with Evan, and endearing as Cynthia’s “fantasy” of a sweet devoted pal. And luckily, Dodani generates some much-needed levity as the cynical Jared, taking the “p#*%s” out of his “bro” at nearly every turn.

The direction from Stephen Chobsky (best known for helming the movie of his YA novel THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER) is very creative, exposing little of the material’s “stage roots’, while “opening up” the story and making it a bit more intimate, as the camera can focus in on the main characters. He eases the action into the musical numbers with few bombastic bits of flourish. Plus he makes great use of montages in order to bring us into the “viral world”, which is as important a setting as the school or Zoe’s opulent home (or Heidi’s modest two-bedroom tract house). Unlike the aforementioned JAIMIE, there’s not an abundance of flashy dance numbers (“Sincerely, Me”, a fantasy duet with Evan and Connor comes close), which aid in showcasing the clever songs by Justin Paul and Dan Romer (LA LA LAND). The screenplay from Steven Levenson (another Tony winner)aptly explores the social hierarchy of high school while also touching on economic class clashes (Evan likes the “swanky digs” at Zoe’s), though the third act (like many stage shows) feels a bit lacking in its denouncement, especially as Evan “faces the music” while trying to achieve a somewhat hopeful finale’.I kept harkening back to a much darker, though similar in subject teen comedy/drama from 2009, Bobcat Goldthwait’s WORLD’S GREATEST DAD, which is an underrated gem with a messier, but more compelling conclusion. The final moments aside, this is one of the better stage adaptations with soulful songs and a stellar cast giving the flick a real emotional punch. DEAR EVAN HANSEN delivers its heartfelt message both dramatically and musically, one that should resonate with all ages (and hopefully lead to some needed family discussions).

3 Out of 4

DEAR EVAN HANSEN opens in select theatres on Friday, September 24, 2021