REVIEW: Dear Evan Hansen

This movie is a tear-jerker and here’s why. This week I was privileged enough to witness Ben Platt back in his role as Evan. This once-Broadway production, now turned into a movie, had me crying from the very first scene. The way it tackles mental health and the struggles of people dealing with these issues blew my mind.

One thing I will say is that I was shocked that this movie has a 12A rating with such harsh mentions of mental health and suicide. As someone with anxiety, it was hard for me not to relate to a character so much like myself. I feel Evan is the outsider we all have in us and though some of the original songs were no longer there, this movie definitely did the original production justice. As well as relating to Evan, we could relate to each of the characters in one way or another, especially Connor’s family.

Though this movie made me tear up on multiple occasions it had a great sense of humour too. The jokes throughout were well-timed and there was one particular song that had me rolling up with laughter. I doubt anyone could resist the song ‘sincerely me’.

The only downside to Ben Platt reliving his role is I felt he was too old to be playing what was meant to be a teenage character — though he got away with it most of the time. There were a few moments where I wanted to cringe because you could tell he wasn’t meant to be in high school anymore.

Overall, I’d highly recommend this movie musical. It tackles dark topics in a light-hearted way. The music is worth it in itself but who would doubt that when it's by the same creators as The Greatest Showman.