Ladies & gentlemen, welcome to yet another session of movie reviewing! Today, we are going to be talking about a musical film that deals with some rather heavy, and touchy subjects. Not only that, but the makers of this film decided to make a rather interesting move of releasing this film neither in the summer, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas season, but in the fall time, when films, except maybe animated films on occasion, are not as popular at the box office. So, without further ado, here is my review of the new musical film, Dear Evan Hansen.
Plot: When tragedy strikes a high school, a senior in high school (Ben Platt) makes up a story in an attempt to be popular, and try to make things better for the school. Will he succeed in keeping up this story, and make things better for the students of his high school, or will things take a turn for the worst?
To start things off, anyone who sees this film should give this film credit for having a film, and surprisingly even a Broadway show that this film is based off of, that has teenage characters as the main ones, and has ORIGINAL songs. I mean besides the High School Musical trilogy, whose films mostly were on Disney Channel, and one of which at least got a theatrical release, how often has that been the case? So yeah, definitely a breath of fresh air for the first time in a long while. Additionally, Dear Evan Hansen is a very good film that represents how difficult life can be for individuals sometimes. Also, this film, like I mentioned before in the intro, touches on some rather heavy subjects. Some people will either like, or hate that about this film. Well, seeing as difficult circumstances happen in life, maybe it’s somewhat of a good thing that this film does that. In addition to all of this, the acting is really amazing. I mean you have people like Ben Platt, and Kaitlyn, for instance, as main characters Evan Hansen, and Zoe Murphy respectively, Amy Adams as Zoe’s mom, Cynthia Murphy, Danny Pino as Zoe’s step dad, Larry Murphy, and quite a few other people. Oh, and there are couple things that should be mentioned in regards to this portion of the film. First off, it’s interesting that Amy Adams goes from serving as a love interest for mostly main characters in films like Enchanted, Talladega Nights, The Fighter, and other films like those, to being a mom to one of the main characters in a film like this one. Second, how could you not be impressed by Kaitlyn Dever’s singing ability? I mean there are certain numbers where she nails her role by singing, and showing great emotion, be it happiness, anger, you name it. How cool it is that she goes from normal acting in a show like Last Man Standing to going over, and beyond in a film like Dear Evan Hansen. All the more reason to enjoy this film, you know? Next, the songs are very good. Sure, they’re not as memorable as certain other movie musicals that song writers Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul wrote. Still, people will enjoy some of them like “Waving Through A Window,” You Will Be Found,” and films like those that may be very catchy. Finally, there are some very good messages especially towards the end of this film.
However, there are some potential negatives about this film. First of all, the movie may feel a little too fast paced at times. I mean, there were times where the audience will feel like they could have understood certain characters’ motivations in regards to why they did certain things that they did, you know? I mean the film does a good job of that in some regards. It just could have maybe improved in that regard. Also, even if there are some good messages towards the end, there are certain others that could feel like mixed, or even negative ones. In addition to these, some of the characters, besides ones like Evan, and the Murphy family, don’t seem to be quite nearly as likable as one would like. Oh, and as for the ending, and without hopefully spoiling anything, while people are bound to like it, at the same time, they may find themselves feeling ambivalent about it as well.
And that’s my review for Dear Evan Hansen. Though it may not be one of the best musicals, or even films period, Dear Evan Hansen is definitely a film worth seeing. That is especially if you have kids who are struggling negatively in their lives, or even want a film with some upbeat songs, despite some okay ones in the process, or want to see a film that is very good at showing how difficult life can be sometimes. Also, how could you not like the cinematography, the acting, and other positives in this film? I would say that even if you may not want to rewatch multiple times after the first watch, definitely see Dear Evan Hansen at least once, if not more. You may find yourself surprised by how enjoyable it is. If not for the story itself, people will at least like the characters, for the most part, and at least a few of the songs in this film.
Final Grade: B+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 