DEAR EVAN HANSEN Movie Musical - News & Discussion Thread — Page 24

I wish the film well, I’d love for it to be terrific, but the reality is that this is a very very crowded year for the Oscars, and the likelihood of a Best Picture nom for DEH are extremely low (even if it is terrific). It just doesn’t have the scope/grandeur/costumes to make it in against the formidable competition (if you’re following Venice and Telluride and soon TIFF, there is already an onslaught of films garnering great reviews, all of which have that scope/grandeur/costumes thing going on). If by some miracle DEH could have been released in the extended qualifying period for 2020, it’d be a different story, a much different story. Musicals-wise this year, expect West Side Story and to some degree Cyrano. (I don’t think In The Heights will get a single nom; tick tick boom, like DEH, is “small” and unless its reviews are over the top, I see little hope for it either).


For DEH, I anticipate a Best Song nom, somewhat very likely a best supporting actress nom for either Adams or Moore. Unless Ben gets across the board raves of a “a legendary performance of all time” level [on Broadway, it was], he doesn’t have the slightest chance for a nomination. Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch and likely Peter Dinklage are already locks for nominations. You’ve got Denzel on his way, plus the PTA Soggy Bottom film, plus Bradley Cooper, Leo, Joaquin, and Adam Driver for Gucci. It’s an insanely packed year. [edit: I forgot Nicolas Cage for Pig, and he’s right up there for a mom]

Updated On: 9/5/21 at 10:32 AM

unclevictor said: "I still can’t get past the bad wig they have him in"

He's said in several interviews that it's not a wig, but actually his own hair that he grew out. Geez there's so much hate for his appearance in this film...folks need to move on and let the performance speak for itself.

gregnyc2 said: "I wish the film well, I’d love for it to be terrific, but the reality is that this is a very very crowded year for the Oscars, and the likelihood of a Best Picture nom for DEH are extremely low (even if it is terrific). It just doesn’t have the scope/grandeur/costumes to make it in against the formidable competition (if you’re following Venice and Telluride and soon TIFF, there is already an onslaught of films garnering great reviews, all of which have that scope/grandeur/costumes thing going on). If by some miracle DEHcould have been released in the extended qualifying period for 2020, it’d be a different story, a much different story. Musicals-wise this year, expect West Side Story and to some degree Cyrano. (I don’t think In The Heights will get a single nom; tick tick boom, like DEH, is “small” and unless its reviews are over the top, I see little hope for it either).


For DEH, I anticipate a Best Song nom, somewhat very likely a best supporting actress nom for either Adams or Moore. Unless Ben gets across the board raves of a “a legendary performance of all time” level [on Broadway, it was], he doesn’t have the slightest chance for a nomination. Will Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch and likely Peter Dinklage are already locks for nominations. You’ve got Denzel on his way, plus the PTA Soggy Bottom film, plus Bradley Cooper, Leo, Joaquin, and Adam Driver for Gucci. It’s an insanely packed year."

Lets not forget Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker.

Thank you for your thoughts on that RaisedOnMusicals. I hope it's a massive success.

It's his real hair, for anyone still wondering. When I saw him, he had it cropped and it gave him a youthful appearance though.

Ben Platt is a very talented man, trust fund baby or not. I'm not an anxious person at all, but I felt his anxiety, all the way up to the first row of the mezz. The only time I ever felt that way was with Audra McDonald in Porgy and Bess. I felt her terror of Crown go through me. Not many actors can do that to their audience, but they both it and both won Tonys for it. Incredible talent.

Ben has a youthful voice and 27 is not old. I think people will quickly get over the hair and focus on the story. He sounds wonderful in these clips.

Bettyboy72 said: "Grease was a campy musical where all the “teens” looked equally old. I think it’s a harder suspension of disbelief in this dramatic scenario.

In The Heights had incredible reviews, lots of buzz, and momentum and it tanked. I’ll be curious to see how this fares."

IMHO, the reason In the Heights "tanked" is because its appeal did not cut across a large demographic. I never understood who the intended audience was. (By the way, I watched it (streaming) and enjoyed it though there were significant sound mixing issues, confirmed by reports of many others.) And the "buzz", I think, was mostly among people who are interested in musical theater.

If not for COVID, I think DEH would have been a huge box office success, It's hard to predict anything like that now.

Jordan Catalano said: "A new video was just posted with fan reactions and new footage from the film. Looks like they're including High School graduation to the ending.

Video Link"

Looks promising, but it seems to be a biased crowd full of stans. The people on that video are about ready to pop. I'm not sure they could be impartial if they wanted. Exactly what you'd want for an audience reaction video.

Also, I'm pretty sick of this film being touted as some antidote. Yes, any media that raises awareness of mental health issues is great, but honestly, we've never lived during a time with more of that than now. Teens have a wealth of media where they can find content related very specifically to mental health issues.

We need a film that teaches helicopter parents and people like the Murphy's how to stop running their children into the ground. DEH raises awareness about teens and mental health. This is nothing new. We need to target parents who are relentlessly raising anxious and depressed children by pushing them to the brink with whatever this hideous lifestyle of over commitment many families have evolved into.

That being said, the film looks more fully realized in the clips but they are using quick edits so you don't a sense of how Platt looks next to his peers. I kept trying to get a sense of how he looks and you'd only see him for a second.

The fan reactions seems typical as these things usually are, nothing else to add really. Though the new footage was nice to see, plus we only have 2 days left until the TIFF premiere so we'll hear from audiences and critics soon enough.

Updated On: 9/7/21 at 02:26 PM