Film Review: Dear Evan Hansen is Hard to Sympathize with

By Audrey Fox

Based on a hit musical that won six Tony awards in 2017 and launched Ben Platt as a rising star in theater, Dear Evan Hansen has a built-in legion of supporters. But it may have a more difficult time connecting with larger film audiences, many of whom have already been critical towards the project based on Ben Platt’s age and appearance in the trailer, both of which suggest that he has already aged out of the role and should have handed the reins to a new actor. This is an issue in the film, especially since we’re supposed to empathize with him in part because of his youth and inexperience, but it’s far from the only issue.

Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a teenager struggling with crippling social anxiety, who feels invisible at his school until Connor Murphy, an unstable classmate played by Colton Ryan, talks to him and offers to sign his cast. Their interaction ends on a sour note, when Connor sees a letter that Evan has written to himself as part of a therapy exercise which mentions Connor’s younger sister Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever), who even has a crush on. Connor angrily takes the note, and the next day, he kills himself. When the note is found with him, it is assumed that he and Evan had a relationship. Evan lets people believe this. And things escalate from there. 

Let’s start with the positive. Ben Platt has a lovely singing voice, and he has a unique fragility that makes him believable as the sort of teenager who has a mini-panic attack if someone looks at him funny. The supporting cast are all delightful, especially Kaitlyn Dever, who goes toe-to-toe against Platt in more than one musical number and acquits herself admirably, and Colton Ryan, who has limited screen time but steals every second that he’s there for.

Despite the talent behind the production, there are numerous issues that exist in the source material that handicap Dear Evan Hansen from the very beginning. We are expected to sympathize with a character who engages in some objectively reprehensible behavior, for one. But perhaps more frustratingly, the production careens too often into maudlin sentimentality, creating a soppy atmosphere where the only thing anyone seems capable of doing is singing downer ballads or, even worse, corny inspirational ballads. And there’s just not enough substance beneath the sanctimonious, feel good attitude to make it worth it.