‘Dear Evan Hansen’ a moving, sentimental film

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a coming-of-age musical that has earned numerous awards and nominations. The musical opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December of 2016, after the show’s world premiere at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in July 2015.

Now, the highly acclaimed musical jumps from Broadway to the big screen in an emotional and moving film experience that is an absolute must-see.

In the Universal Pictures presentation of ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ the title character is an anxious, isolated high school student who’s aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social media age. He soon embarks on a journey of self-discovery when a letter he wrote for a therapeutic writing exercise falls into the hands of a grieving couple whose son took his own life.

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a deeply moving film that everyone should definitely check out. The story of hope, isolation and of grief will likely hit home to a lot of people, and several moments throughout the film are extremely heart-warming.

The performances in the film are truly incredible and emotional. Some of the heart-breaking moments occur when you see how Connor’s family and a few others are dealing with the young man’s tragic passing. There is one moment that was extremely tear-jerking — when the young man’s step-father finally breaks down after grieving. Overall, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is a really thought-provoking feature that should not be missed. If you know of someone (especially high school age) who is going through depression or social anxiety, this could be a film that they should check out. Also, there are quite a few moments that could make you shed a tear. So, make sure to come on down to the Dietrich and don’t miss ‘Evan Hansen.’

The cast: Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect 1 and 2) as Evan Hansen; Julianne Moore (Spirit Untamed) as Heidi Hansen; Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart; Hulu’s Dopesick) as Zoe Murphy; Amy Adams (Netflix’s The Woman in the Window) as Cynthia Murphy; Danny Pino (FXs Mayan M.C.; Fatale) as Larry Mora; Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give) as Alana Beck; Swift Ric as Mr. Howard; Nik Dodani (Escape Room) as Jared Kalwani and Colton Ryan (Amazon’s Uncle Frank) as Connor Murphy, among many others. ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is written by Steven Levenson, who created the FX series ‘Fosse/Verdon’ and also wrote the musical stage play. Stephen Chbosky, who directed ‘Wonder’ and ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ helmed this sentimental feature.

Universal Pictures purchased the film rights to the musical in November 2018. The character of Alana Beck was expanded upon for this adaptation with a new song being written for her (by actress Amandla Stenberg, who portrayed Beck, in collaboration of song-writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.)

The vocal performances in the film were recorded almost entirely on set, specifically to ensure that Ben Platt’s vocals sounded as real and authentic as possible when he sings on screen.

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is rated PG-13 for thematic material involving suicide, brief strong language and some suggestive references and a running time of 137 minutes.