DEAR EVAN HANSEN Movie Musical - News & Discussion Thread — Page 43

joevitus said: "I was never a big fan of the material, but always admired that it showed a person doing dislikable things without making the character himself a bad guy. I enjoyed that nuance. And it's odd to me how much of the negative reaction to the movie originates inpeople beingsomehow galled that they are supposed to empathize with a character who--admittedly--does somethingunpleasant. It sounds like they are complaining that the work isn't more black and white and diagrammatic--the very refusal to do that beingwhatmakes the story worth telling to begin with."

I agree with this point.

Personally I never saw him as a character who could just be simply reduced to the sociopath he's made out to be. He's a complex, conflicted, and troubled young man who finds himself caught up in a lie. It's a lie though that, while providing some perks for him (which I might add you can still see him struggling with throughout), also brings something to Connor's family as well

And that locks him into it. Especially in the attention he is getting from Zoe.

But he really doesn't stray from feeling conflicted over it for very long.

I just don't think Platt plays the role as some demented figure who is purposely trying to hurt someone and has no remorse for it. That would make him more pathological. A sociopath would have no remorse, and would continue to be intentional in his or her behaviors. Evan becomes a liar, true. He falls into a self-created trap and continues on with the lie. Out of some internal desperation, but a desperation that he sees is making a positive impact on others. It's still wrong, no one argues that, but I just don't think he as a character is some demented sociopath with no redeeming qualities.

Based on some of the critiques I've seen on this board since this musical began though, I wonder if people are continuing to have more problems with the show, the star, and the movie because of the nepotism argument than they have with his performance, or the story itself. Have some lost sight of the forest for the trees, no pun intended, just because they have a problem with the nepotism piece that is connected to the movie, and the show's star?

A lot of people have benefitted from nepotism. If a person is talented enough to make it work for them though, whatever. And it's not like he's a lousy actor or singer. Many like him, and his style.

As for this musical being reduced to something that only would be accepted and embraced by the "young'n" mentality, I don't agree. A lot of us "old'uns" were kids once. And many have struggled with the same inadequacies and insecurities as Evan has. So many oldsters can relate to this story too.

Deadline.com on weekend box office: 'Dear Evan Hansen' weeps

Some pundits had projected ''Dear Evan Hansen'' would open in the $9 million to $11 million range. Deadline.com reports its weekend gross, so far, is on the way to $7.3 million (compared to $6.6 million for ''Cats'' ). Fortunately, for Universal, ''Dear Evan Hansen'' cost a lot less to make than ''Cats.''

https://deadline.com/2021/09/dear-evan-hansen-weekend-box-office-shang-chi-1234843679/

Updated On: 9/25/21 at 12:21 PM

Cats cost somewhere between 80-100 million dollars while Dear Evan Hansen only cost 28 million dollars. So chances of the latter to at least break even is much higher for worldwide releases.

Ladies and gentlemen… Ben Platt:

I think the reaction is largely from people who don't understand the context of the piece – the fact that I created the role and workshopped it for three years ... Were I not to do the movie, it probably wouldn't get made. And so, I think, my defensive response is to want to go onto Twitter and be like, "F you, guys. You don't even know that this wouldn't exist without me." Of course, that's not true entirely and not my place to say. All I have to do is let the work speak for itself.

That was quoted like a month ago. Old news.

I hope everyone enjoys the film this weekend. However, people who haven't seen the movie? The trailer only gets you so far to the point where you can't really go too deep into "the material". Sorry!

I think it might be popular when it's available for streaming.

theatreguy12 said: "joevitus said: "I was never a big fan of the material, but always admired that it showed a person doing dislikable things without making the character himself a bad guy. I enjoyed that nuance. And it's odd to me how much of the negative reaction to the movie originates inpeople beingsomehow galled that they are supposed to empathize with a character who--admittedly--does somethingunpleasant. It sounds like they are complaining that the work isn't more black and white and diagrammatic--the very refusal to do that beingwhatmakes the story worth telling to begin with."

I agree with this point.

Personally I never saw him as a character who could just be simply reduced to thesociopath he's made out to be. He's a complex, conflicted, and troubled young man who finds himself caught up in a lie. It's a lie though that, while providingsome perks for him (which I might add you can still see him struggling with throughout), also bringssomething to Connor's family as well

And that locks him into it. Especially in the attention he is getting from Zoe.

But he really doesn't stray from feeling conflicted over it for very long.

I just don't think Platt plays the role as some demented figure who is purposely trying to hurt someone and has no remorse for it. That would make him more pathological. A sociopath would have no remorse, and would continue to be intentional in his or her behaviors. Evan becomes a liar, true. He falls into a self-created trap and continues on with the lie. Out of some internal desperation, but a desperation that he sees is making a positive impact on others. It's still wrong, no one argues that, but I just don't think he as a character is some demented sociopath with no redeeming qualities.

Based on some of the critiques I've seen on this board since this musical began though, I wonder if people are continuing to have more problems withthe show, the star, and the movie because of thenepotism argument than they have withhis performance, or the story itself. Have some lost sight of the forest for the trees, no pun intended, just because they have a problem withthe nepotism piece that is connected to the movie, and the show's star?

A lot of people have benefitted from nepotism. If a person is talented enough to make it work for them though, whatever. And it's not like he's a lousy actor or singer. Many like him, and his style.

As for this musical being reduced to something that only would be accepted and embraced by the "young'n" mentality, I don't agree. A lot of us "old'uns" were kids once. And many have struggled with the same inadequacies and insecurities as Evan has. So many oldsters can relate to this story too."

Nice post. There are people here honing in on the nepotism angle, but I don't think most audiences are aware of it. I suspect it's a certain percent people who feel the show was better (quite a common reaction for all adaptations), a certain percent who think the material is depressing, and a certain percent who think Platt is just too old and it hurts the material.

I hate nepotism and I don't care if this ever makes money for anyone. But I'm willing to put that aside to support Amy Adams. Queen.

We saw it Saturday night along with 3 other people in a large San Francisco Bay Area movie theater.

A few thoughts (with spoilers):

- I have seen the stage musical with the original cast. I enjoyed it well enough, but had problems with the show.

- All in all, it’s a pretty faithful adaptation. There are some changes (more sympathetic Alana, less Heidi, some tweaks at the end, less humor).

- Platt is Platt. He can sing the part and didn’t ruin the movie for me. I didn’t spend my time thinking he was too old for the role. He is, but suspension of disbelief is pretty easy for me.

- The film works for a while, and then we hit ‘You Will Be Found.’ For all of problems with the way the show promotes the song, it actually worked on Broadway - as Evan finds himself caught in a web he created and that is out of his control. Maybe I am misremembering it, but I feel like Platt betrayed some recognition of this at the end of the first act. The movie plays the scene without any sense of irony or dread and the directorial choices are embarrassingly literal and amateurish.

- The changes in Alana are an improvement on the stage show. She’s sympathetic, not annoying, although this makes her decision to release the letter tougher to stomach.

- I will defend Platt up to a point, but ‘Words Fail’ doesn’t work in the film. He’s going full Broadway, and it comes across as overblown and overwrought, especially when followed by Julianne Moore’s naturalistic performance of ‘So Big, So Small.’ I wasn’t expecting Moore to provide the musical highlight of the film. It didn’t entirely feel earned in the movie, because Heidi wasn’t in it much, but it’s official: Moore can do anything on screen.

- Zoe still gets a raw deal. Everything is about her dead brother and Evan’s lies - and she still has to forgive because her family is OK. No improvement there.

- This problem also stems from the source material but can’t be hidden in the film: Evan is better off after all of his increasingly twisted lies. He was a total wreck at the beginning. Despite everything, he’s in a better place by the end. Truthiness has set him free, and his victims are better off in the end. There’s a message in there somewhere, but I am not sure it is what the creators intended.

- The Broadway musical can hide the flaws in the source material with strong performances, shrewd direction, and the energy of a live performance. The film wasn’t the total misfire I feared - but it wasn’t greater than the sum of its parts.

- I know Steven Levenson, the screenwriter, was trying to make Evan suffer a bit and do good deeds to address criticism of the stage musical. But that segment was awful. There is nothing about it that rings true. Connor read Vonnegut, Evan dutifully completes every book on that yearbook list, then he turns into a private detective and discovers a person with an actual connection to Connor (who will apparently only send private stuff to Evan months later), and forwards it to the family so they can finally see and hear the yearning artist inside. Oh, gag me. I think I liked it better when Connor was just a troubled jerk and time passed and some good happened to the Murphys. The new ending turns Evan into the hero he was just pretending to be.

Updated On: 9/26/21 at 06:28 AM

It won’t amount to even a drop in the bucket of pans on this movie to say that we found the film a very worthy version of the stage show and a huge improvement when it comes to the 3rd act.

We absolutely adored “Sincerely Me” onscreen and wish more of the movie had popped into full life like that number: dynamite choreo, funniest 4 minutes of the score, 3 glorious performances, perfect editing. Other improvements we welcomed: seeing Evan’s fantasy of what a relationship with Zoe could look like; laying out multiple views of the tree climbing scene that put it in far clearer relief; most especially the fleshing out of Evan’s penance and the reveal of Connor’s new scene.

Biggest surprise and biggest heresy to state: Ben Platt worked for us. He looked infinitely better than the trailers had suggested. He persuaded, he lived in the part, eventually he moved us. Did he have moments that were way too big for the screen? Sure, but I fault Chbosky for that; it’s the director’s job to guide the actor on scale of performance. “Words Fail” was certainly the low point of the movie for us but the balance of Platt’s performance was lovely to behold.

Movie musicals are just so damn hard. This one’s still getting a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Glad they made it, glad we saw it. I know this blurb will convince exactly no-one.

Updated On: 9/26/21 at 08:29 AM

Yeah Words Fail did not work on film. At all.

It felt like crocodile tears for his heinous manipulating.

On stage it worked better also cause it was cathartic to see his amazing performance go to that place. It's electric to be in the room with it.

But his crying and veins popping from his neck like ugh. It just felt like pushing as hard as you can to get nominated for an Oscar.

As well as in the moment where he reveals his deceit I care WAY more for Zoe and her family and how they react. I'm far more interested and invested in them.

Updated On: 9/26/21 at 12:50 PM

Ouch.

Outside of Amy Adams and Julianne Moore, very little of this worked for me. So glad someone else mentioned the overwrought-ness of Platt’s performance. The tears and the bulging veins took me right out of the piece, as well. I, too, was left thinking “he’s really really going for that Oscar.”


I saw Platt on stage twice and what I found moving the first time, I found mannered and manipulative the second. I walked away from the second performance wondering if he is the wonder kid the hype made him out to be. The movie told me he isn’t. He’s talented, of course. But, well, he really should have let someone else do the movie.

All my opinion, of course. Worth nothing more than that. And nothing too different from what the bulk of folks are saying. But when it was all over I said, “P.U.” out loud to the three other people in the theatre.

Updated On: 9/26/21 at 02:30 PM