Dear Evan Hansen arrives in movie theaters on September 24, but the film is receiving far worse reviews than the Broadway musical on which it’s based. Starring Ben Platt, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, Danny Pino, and Colton Ryan, Dear Evan Hansen translates the story of a shy high school student struggling with a lie growing out of control from stage to screen. Unfortunately, it sounds like the movie doesn’t handle that transition especially well.
When it premiered on Broadway in 2016, Dear Evan Hansen quickly became a sensational success, earning nine Tony Award Nominations and winning six, including Best Musical. Ben Platt's singing received particular praise, as well as his overall performance in the leading role, and the show’s beautiful soundtrack became a major hit, even amongst those who hadn’t seen the show live. Performances of Dear Evan Hansen were interrupted on Broadway by the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, but the show is set to reopen in December of 2021.
All that success seemed to foreshadow success for the film adaptation, but the reviews so far have been pretty mixed, with the bad outweighing the good. Dear Evan Hansen currently holds a dismal 38 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, painting a picture of a film that struggles severely to carry the best aspects of its source material to the big screen. Check out what the critics are saying below.
Screen Rant:
"Dear Evan Hansen might be well-meaning, but it completely misses the mark. It’s not the worst movie out this year, but it’s not a musical one might be inclined to rush to the theater to see, either. "
“Almost everything imaginable has gone wrong on the journey from stage to screen, and the result is a film that isn't even "so bad it's good," like some other recent musical movies; mostly, it's just painful to watch.”
“Even though it introduces a new crop of fans to its hummable soundtrack, "Dear Evan Hansen" is the perfect example of why every hit Broadway musical shouldn't be made into a movie.”
“Amid Levenson's overhaul and director Stephen Chbosky's grounded aesthetic - both of which fluctuate between fascinating and flummoxing - "Dear Evan Hansen's" foundation thankfully survives the stage-to-screen remodeling.”
“Adolescence can be difficult, but never so difficult as actually sitting through all 137 minutes of "Dear Evan Hansen," an insufferably twee film adaptation of the Broadway musical.”
Clearly, Dear Evan Hansen has missed the mark in bringing the success of the Broadway musical to screen. Overall, critics have responded lukewarmly to the incorporation of the music into a more traditional film format, and the story itself has been criticized for leaving many areas unexplored, being called everything from overly precious to a callous misrepresentation of mental health. There’s no doubt that turning a stage musical into a full-on film is a challenging job and one that many filmmakers have missed the mark on before. Still, some critics have responded more warmly to Dear Evan Hansen.
“Sorry, 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.”
“An adaptation that's alternately baffling and cringeworthy, with only the occasional emotional highpoint for balance.”
“When the movie Dear Evan Hansen adds dimension to the stage version, it does so by working against the original's platitudes and giving more weight to its inherent brutality.”
“‘Dear Evan Hansen’ preserves many of the selling points of its stage incarnation. But ‘preserves’ isn't the same as ‘activates.’”
Overall, critics seem split on some of the film’s bigger features. Some have praised Platt’s performance as the best part of Dear Evan Hansen, while others have criticized his casting because he’s so much older than Evan himself. Some have celebrated the music, while others say it’s handled poorly. Ultimately, the mixed reception to Dear Evan Hansen may not affect its box office performance on 2021's movie release slate too much. The musical already has a massive fanbase, and many who’ve never had the chance to see the show on stage will likely turn out to cinemas regardless of the reviews. Still, it sounds like some of those Dear Evan Hansen viewers may go home disappointed.
