Dear Evan Hansen: A Fine Adaptation of the Steven Levenson Play!

Dear Evan Hansen is a 2021 coming-of-age musical drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky and is based on the play by Steven Levenson. The film tells the narrative of an anxious teen named Evan Hansen who gets wrapped up in the web of a mourning family. This stage adaptation stars Ben Platt in the titular role alongside Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Nik Dodani, Colton Ryan, and Danny Pino in the supporting roles.

Also Read: Best English Movies of 2021 *So Far*
Also Read: Sex Education 3 Review: A Delightful Show!

The critical consensus on Dear Evan Hansen in comparison to the stage play is glaring. This movie has been panned by critics. But, on the other hand, the audience reviews have been the opposite and overwhelmingly positive. Most of the time, I side with the critics, but this time I have to agree with the audience.

Dear Evan Hansen pulled my heartstrings and broke me down to my core. This film definitely hit home for me. This emotionally charged melancholic movie was what I wanted to be for the most part. While there are quite a few glaring issues, including the fact that Evan Hansen, a teenager, is being played by a nearly 30-year-old Ben Platt, I can overlook it to an extent as Ben Platt is still quite good as Evan Hansen.

Amy Adams, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Danny Pino, and Julianne Moore are all quite good, along with the rest of the cast. On top of these powerful performances, the music is amazing. Evan Hansen’s soundtrack is truly astounding. Each song, getting better and better.

In terms of the script of Dear Evan Hansen, while this isn’t a great script by any means it’s certainly competent enough to keep your interest and tug on your heartstrings, as I mentioned before. The direction by Stephen Chbosky is also solid.

Overall, Dear Evan Hansen was a fine adaptation of the Tony Award-winning show. This gave me a lot of The Greatest Showman vibes as the movie is decent but the music is better and I think that is exactly what this film is to its core.

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Rating – 3/5

Follow Rob (the Author) on Instagram – @arcmoviereviews

• Author
• Recent Posts

Robert Arcidiacono

Guest Writer at Just for Movie Freaks

Rob is a 20-year old film lover living in the Big Apple. He fell in love with films at the age of 10 and hopes to be a film writer someday.

Latest posts by Robert Arcidiacono (see all)

• Creed III Review: Awesomely Fun! - March 5, 2023
• Champions Review: Hits Just the Right Shots! 🏀 - March 2, 2023
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Review – A Potentially Catastrophic Disappointment! - February 17, 2023