Any film that raises awareness around mental health has merit. However, merit does not make a good movie. Dear Evan Hansen strives for honorable goals, not only depicting mental health issues but also integrating musical numbers. Furthermore, there are surprisingly enjoyable elements beyond that ambition. The singing is strong, the ending isn't overly cliché, the camerawork is engaged, the edits and sound design have moments of elevation, and the acting is quite vulnerable. Yet, Dear Evan Hansen has some crucial flaws that deny its genuine success.
The casting of an adult as a high school student is sometimes forgivable, but Dear Evan Hansen is built around the viewer's emotional connection to a vulnerable child. This distortion undercuts that key bond. Meanwhile, empty platitudes riddle this script and the overall subject of mental-health feels sanitized, glossing the film with a hollow tone. That hollowness is accentuated by the sterile locations and lifeless production design, further robbing the movie of the vulnerability it depends on. Lastly, the film is simply too long and exhausting. Ultimately, this all gives Dear Evan Hansen a bloated, disjointed quality that feels like a collection of parts instead of a cohesive experience.
Writing: 5/10
Direction: 4/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Acting: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Sound: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Production Design: 4/10
Casting: 6/10
Effects: 5/10
Overall Score: 5.9/10
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