There aren't many original hit Broadway musicals these days, are there? It seems like the majority of musicals on Broadway that are certified hits are those old-school shows from long ago like Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and South Pacific. I could go on...forever. This year the biggest musical coming out is a new version of The Music Man starring Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. It's not that Broadway doesn't have new ideas, it's just that a known entity already has a place in some people's heads so they at least aren't wary of buying a ticket to the unknown. And while Hamilton was the last smash Broadway hit, it wasn't exactly an original story or anything. The Book of Mormon was probably the last hit Broadway musical not based on a book or film or story or real life character. They're rare; a new, fresh, original musical that not only makes it to Broadway but becomes a hit. Dear Evan Hansen was just that. It premiered on Broadway in 2016 and is still running. It won multiple Tony awards. Ben Platt became a star. And now it's a movie...that's getting ripped to shreds by movie critics and the Twitter schadenfreude maelstrom.
Dear Evan Hansen has to be the darkest hit Broadway musical since at least Sweeney Todd, a musical about a serial killer. Dear Evan Hansen has some humor in it and at least one fun, light, danceable song...but it's such a dark and depressing story that I'm shocked it became a popular, hit musical. The basic story is that the main character, Evan Hansen, is a depressed, suicidal teen with no friends, a missing father, and a mom that's never around. Cue the showtunes! When a student at his school commits suicide, Evan Hansen ends up somehow tricking everyone into thinking he was the dead kid's only friend, which leads him into spending time with the dead kid's family, being noticed at school finally in a good way, and kissing a girl for the first time. Suddenly his life is fantastic, except it's an elaborate lie that will probably come crashing down someday. Suicide. Depression. Teenage angst. Lies. Trickery. Family problems. Holy shit, how is this a hit Broadway musical? How are there even songs about all of this? How did this even get greenlit?
The funny thing in all of this is that the main gripe the critics have for the film version has nothing to do with the plot, story, or songs. Nope. All the critics care about is Benn Platt's hair and his age. Weird that they're not concerned that there's song and dance numbers in a film about suicide and depression. They only care about Benn Platt's hair. Is his hair that big a problem? It's a curly mop, probably grown to hide his receding hairline since he's 27 years old and is supposed to play a High School senior. And is a 27 year old playing a High School kid that much of a problem? It's certainly not great, though it doesn't ruin the film. I'm wondering...have these critics never seen High School movies like Grease or Dazed & Confused where everyone looks like they're 30 years old? Sure, Benn Platt looks like an old man playing a teen, but what's the alternative? Platt supposedly gave a powerhouse performance on Broadway and won a Tony for his role. He even admitted that the movie probably wouldn't have gotten made if he wasn't the star (his dad was also a producer, probably one of the reasons). It's a catch-22. Do you give Platt, who made the role famous & is obviously great at it, the role? Or do you give it to a true High School age kid that looks age appropriate but a) the movie probably isn't going to make any money and b) the actor probably won't do as good a job as Platt. The studio went with Platt and now the critics have their knives out. I wonder...did he look that old on Broadway (he was 23 when the show started)? Or are Broadway critics different than film critics?
For whatever it's worth, I never saw the Broadway version but I did enjoy the film. Granted, I love musicals, and the music is good in this. There is only one stand-out hit, the song when Evan and his psuedo-friend are crafting fake emails between him and the dead kid to show the dead kid's parents. "He smoked crack." "Crack?" I dyed laughing at that bit. And what am I doing...laughing during a movie about depression and suicide? It's certainly a strange mix of a film. The other songs are mostly quiet emotional tunes but they're all very well done. And the story, which, let's face it, is definitely original but definitely bizarre, is very engrossing. The only problem with the story I had is that the ending is obviously going to be a downer, and thus it kind of peters out instead of ends with any kind of emotional catharsis or wise moral victory. Since Evan Hansen is suicidal, depressed, and has no friends but suddenly becomes a star and a stud when he lies...what are we supposed to get out of this? Don't like? Why not? He lied and scored the hottie. He tricked the world and suddenly everyone smiled and said "hi" to him in the school hallways. There is no moral to the story then, right? Or is the underlying theme that anyone popular, rich, and successful is just a liar and fraud and not truly themselves? Is there something about the way we create a false narrative about ourselves through social media woven throughout this? I suppose you could write a book about what's going on in this film, which is a good thing. Most Broadway musicals are just forgettable, colorful fluff. This one is strange, dark, and hard to put your finger on.
The acting by Benn Platt, Julianne Moore, and Kaitlyn Dever is great. The direction by Steven Chbosky is top-notch; the film looks fantastic. The musical numbers work, the songs are good. The story is compelling. You can rag on the fact that the High School kid looks like a forty year old man all you want, but this is a good, unique, and interesting movie regardless. ***
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