Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DEAR EVAN HANSEN
Cert 12A ★★ In cinemas now
Age-reducing movie magic was needed to allow 27-year-old Ben Platt to reprise his Broadway performance from the hit 2015 high school musical.
Sadly, his pasty make-up is even less convincing than the potion from Boss Baby 2.
Evan could be the only kid in his school who doesn’t need a fake ID to enjoy a drink, but he still cuts a miserable figure in the school canteen.
A collection of nervous ticks and mysterious flashbacks, Evan’s therapist has tasked him with writing a letter to himself every morning, outlining his goals and
hopes for the coming day. Stupidly, Evan prints one out in the school library, where it is stolen by Connor (Colton Ryan), an angry misfit who has troubles of his own.
A few days later Connor takes his own life. His parents find the letter and assume their
son penned the confessional to a friend.
Eager to console his distraught parents (Amy Adams and Danny Pino), who are relieved that Connor had at least one confidante, Evan goes along with the deception.
The lie quickly escalates. Evan’s “best friend’s” speech at Connor’s memorial service goes viral.
After becoming the poster boy for anti-bullying, Evan wins the heart of Connor’s sister Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever) and achieves the popularity he’s always craved.
There are a few decent show tunes but the story never explores its dark set-up, making Evan an outsider instead of a troubled anti-hero.
I never bought it. Like a grown man moping around a school locker room,
Evan’s pursuit of popularity felt a bit too creepy for me.