Musical films, at least in the modern era, are pretty hit or miss. You’ll get a decent one, such as “Mamma Mia!” and then there will be a “Cats.” Maybe you loved “La La Land?” Well, then you’ll maybe have to suffer through “The Prom.” But on paper, even though there is so much that can go wrong, there’s seemingly no way in the world that the film adaptation of the Broadway hit, “Dear Evan Hansen” can be bad, right?
READ MORE: ‘The Prom’: ‘Glee’ Redux, TikTok-Level Cringe & A Musical Tweens-Only Vibe [Review]
As seen in the trailer for “Dear Evan Hansen,” the new film is a faithful adaptation of the original award-winning Broadway musical about a teenager that is desperate to find acceptance and does so through means that are less than great. The story, by itself, might seem a bit tired and obvious, but everything else about the film seems incredible.
First, you have the source material, which is award-winning and beloved, brought to you by the duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman”). Then you have Ben Platt leading the cast, as he did in the Broadway version. But this time, he’s surrounded by other cast members like Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, and Amandla Stenberg. And behind the camera, you have Stephen Chbosky, the filmmaker behind “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
Basically, if a film is a meal, then the ingredients of “Dear Evan Hansen” are pretty top shelf, to say the least. Now, let’s see if they can come together and work as a whole. “Dear Evan Hansen” arrives in theaters on September 24. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
The breathtaking, generation-defining Broadway phenomenon becomes a soaring cinematic event as Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt reprises his role as an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.
