Musical lovers are being urged to watch a “heart-wrenching” drama that’s now available to stream for free as fans warn to “grab your tissues”.
Dear Evan Hansen, follows the tale of a socially anxious and depressed student named Evan Hansen, portrayed by Ben Platt. It takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster after he becomes entangled in a web of deceit following his classmate’s suicide.
The film, which is based on the acclaimed Tony and Grammy Award-winning stage musical, premiered in 2021 and sparked debate among enthusiasts. Some argue it was better on stage, while others notice alterations to the original songs.
Yet, its raw depiction of mental health issues has led many to describe the movie as “super emotional”. It’s now available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
The synopsis reads: “High school misfit Evan lies to comfort a grieving mother, telling her of a friendship with her late son that never existed. The falsehoods soon escalate, bringing Evan benefits – but emotional highs only give him further to fall,” reports the Mirror.
The cast features familiar faces like Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect) in the lead role, Kaitlyn Dever (The Last of Us) as Zoe Murphy, and Colton Ryan (The Girl from Plainville) playing Connor Murphy.
Critics and audiences are split over on Rotten Tomatoes, where one viewer remarked: “Grab your tissues (and your Connor-signed cast) – cause Dear Evan Hansen is one heck of an emotional ride.”
Another viewer gushed: “Super emotional movie and music is incredible. I think the film adds something special that’s hard to convey in Broadway. The cast is perfect and really sell the story.”
A third enthusiast remarked: “The music is brilliant, the meaning of the movie inspires me, it is a funny and lovable movie.”
A fourth penned: “This was honestly one of the best movies I have ever seen. After watching this, I wholeheartedly believe every teenager, parent, and teacher should watch this. Every song conveys an amazing message and the story itself shines light on mental health with teens. It is extremely sad and I did cry my entire way through this movie, but I will never regret watching it.”
Yet another critic offered a contrasting perspective: “The film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, originally a Broadway show, received mixed reviews and sparked controversy. While the music in the movie was praised for its quality, the overall execution fell short of expectations.”
Meanwhile, on Google reviews, the accolades kept flowing as one reviewer declared: “OMG, this movie is a tearjerker and it pulled at my heartstrings multiple times throughout the whole thing.”
Another contributor reflected: “…It’s a beautiful story about social anxiety and the consequences of desperate poor choices, with heart wrenchingly beautiful songs which were delivered with raw heart.”
Dear Evan Hansen is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.