(Content warning: discussions surrounding suicide and mental health issues)

This Broadway-musical-turned-Hollywood-flick premiered in theaters Sept. 24, 2021. With an array of thoughts anticipating the film’s release, critics and audiences had several things to say. 

Astoundingly, Rotten Tomatoes had a wide range of scores. The critic’s score was a low 37%, while the audience score was at a whopping 93%. 

Personally, “Dear Evan Hansen” is my favorite musical and book, so after seeing the trailer, I was ecstatic to go see the film the minute I could in theaters. 

From the moment the film began until the very end, I was on the edge of my seat, absolutely ecstatic. The story was captivating and was certainly one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Although there were some major changes between the on-stage and on-screen productions, I still adored the movie. 

The music was phenomenal, the actors put their hearts and souls into their roles. The editing and flow of the film were executed extremely well. Keeping the audience engaged and on edge with what direction the story would take next. Even after knowing what was supposed to happen throughout the entire film, I nevertheless found myself fully engaged. 

Firstly, one crucial item to note before seeing “Dear Evan Hansen” in theaters and reading this article further is there are multiple potential triggers for people including, but not limited to: suicide, family separation, depression, bullying and anxiety. 

Evan Hansen is a senior in high school struggling with anxiety and depression. He becomes caught up in a tangled and complicated situation when another senior commits suicide with a letter he stole from Evan in his pocket. Evan writes letters like these to himself as an assignment from his therapist, titling them ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ thus the title of the production. 

Being a movie musical, it’s no shock that my favorite element of the film was the music. Each song was meticulously placed and executed. Ben Platt, who originated the role of Evan Hansen in the Broadway production, sounds the same as he did when the musical first premiered in 2016. Although the casting of Platt caused some controversy, it should not be taken away that even though he may not look like a high schooler, he nailed the character to perfection. 

With that said, one of the biggest complaints from critics and other individuals is concerning Ben Platt’s age. Although playing a high schooler, Platt is 28 years old. I completely understand the frustration when we already have younger actors who could play this character well. However, this trend is not a new one.

To further this point, Ben Platt is the oldest of the cast, but not by a great amount. Colton Ryan (Connor) is 27, Nik Dodani (Jared) is 27, Kaitlyn Dever (Zoe) is 24 and Amandla Stenberg (Alana) is 22. All of these actors depict the high schoolers throughout the movie. So, I do understand the frustration, and even felt somewhat felt the same way whilst seeing the trailer, but after seeing Platt’s performance I had no qualms with the casting choice. 

The one and only complaint I had regarding this film are some of the songs which were in the musical, but were cut from this on-screen adaptation. The addition of the new number “The Anonymous Ones” sung by Amandla Steinberg, however, was fantastic. My personal favorite is the classic “You Will be Found,” which made me bawl like an absolute baby in the theater.

This film was heavily scrutinized by many film critics, and some comments I do agree with. However, negative opinions are heavily overshadowed (for myself at least) when considering other aspects of “Dear Evan Hansen.” Is it perfect? No, I don’t think any movie is. Is it the worst movie musical? Absolutely not. 

After reading some of the various articles criticizing the movie, it truly makes me wonder if they understood the film in its entirety. This is not a cut-and-dry movie, there are so many layers and each of the characters make mistakes. These decisions are what make the story feel more real, for it’s not simple: you as the audience have to decide who and what you agree with. 

The story of Evan Hansen showcases the story of depression and grief in a new light to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Each person will find something different after their experience with this film. But the main message to convey is this musical/book/movie has helped millions, myself included, with its coming-of-age story.