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| Random question re the DEH film | |
| Posted by: broadwaybacker 10:08 am EDT 10/07/21 | |
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| I loved the show on stage since I first saw it at Second State at the recommendation of my daughter who saw it in DC. And I have not seen the film to date, although there's a good chance I'll see it over the weekend. So here's my question: Hypothetically, do we think that if the film was made ab initio and not having been preceded by the musical, the reaction to the film would have been markedly different? Among other things, viewers (and critics) would be hearing the score for the first time and would not have gone into the film with preconceived notions about whether or not Evan was a hero, a villain, or something in between. |
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| re: Random question re the DEH film - possible spoilers | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 09:53 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 09:40 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Random question re the DEH film - broadwaybacker 10:08 am EDT 10/07/21 | |
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| It's hard to imagine that Universal would've greenlit ''Dear Evan Hansen'' if it hadn't been a Tony Award-winning musical of great acclaim. Studios are risk-averse, so an original movie musical, already a challenging proposition, would've been a tough sell without the prestige or imprimatur it had. Produced on a moderate budget, ''Dear Evan Hansen'' probably looked like a likely Oscar contender. Even though ''Dear Evan Hansen'' was a film adaptation of a Broadway hit, and eagerly awaited by its multitude of fans, many viewers (and critics) WERE hearing the score and experiencing the story for the first time. And the biggest surprise to me is the virulent blowback to the movie's plot, which seems to have blindsided its studio. Many critics heard the show was big on Broadway, but they seemed surprised by what it was: the problematic story of a troubled teen who lies to the grieving family of a suicide victim. (I can't recall any of the theater critics having issues with that.) Maybe it's also due to the difference between theater and movies. At the Music Box, there was a distance of artifice between the stage and the audience, and it was much easier for Ben Platt to pass for a teenager. But onscreen, the camera's closeups are unsparing and the reality that film demands, invited a sharper scrutiny of the story. I've never seen a more divisive reaction between a stage musical and its screen adaptation. There are those who love ''Dear Evan Hansen'' to bits and feel it perfectly captures the alienated and misunderstood soul they sympathized and cried with on Broadway. And there are those who hate this character they find morally irresponsible and are outraged by what they consider to be the movie's tonedeaf depiction of mental health. |
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| Link | 'Dear Evan Hansen': What Media Gets Wrong About Mental Health (video) |
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| re: Random question re the DEH film | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 02:05 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Random question re the DEH film - broadwaybacker 10:08 am EDT 10/07/21 | |
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| If it were the case that this film were made as an original film musical without the show as a precedent, one thing that likely would be different is that it would not be starring Ben Platt. Even if Platt had achieved fame in some other way (since his starring turn on stage would not have existed), I doubt that the powers that be, even if one of them was still going to be Platt's father, would have had any real reason to consider a nearly 30 year old actor to play this role. Would that make a real difference to the movie though? I don't know. One of the attractions of this film is that it preserves an iconic stage performance, something that we all complain doesn't happen enough. Without that carrot, does the film sink deeper into a plotline that many now find distasteful or does a charming, stellar performance from another (teenage) actor elevate the film without all the weirdness surrounding Platt's age. |
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| re: Random question re the DEH film | |
| Posted by: chrismpls 02:45 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Random question re the DEH film - JereNYC 02:05 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
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| Agreed on preserving the Platt performance, or a version of it. In response to the OP's question, in that alternate universe, I don't think it would matter if the film came out without a previous stage version. The issue with the film is that it doesn't work as a film at all, no matter what you've previously seen of the piece -- it feels caught in some weird world where every moment announces, "This was never intended to exist in the realistic world of cinema (as opposed to the metaphoric world of theater?." | |
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| re: Random question re the DEH film | |
| Posted by: huskyital (huskyital@yahoo.com) 12:37 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Random question re the DEH film - broadwaybacker 10:08 am EDT 10/07/21 | |
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| I saw the show twice but my sister never saw the show and she really liked it and she could understand perfectly why a character like Evan would have lied about the letter because he so much wanted to be liked. I think the film says a lot about the destructive qualities of the Internet for teenagers and I surprised myself by crying again during the film. | |
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| re: Random question re the DEH film - possible spoilers | |
| Posted by: Thom915 03:03 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Random question re the DEH film - huskyital 12:37 pm EDT 10/07/21 | |
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| I just came from a private viewing of the film. Okay so it wasn't meant to be a private viewing but I was the only one in the theater so it amounts to the same thing. I found Platt's age to be a non-issue and thought his performance was very good, well deserving of the plaudits he received for creating the role onstage. I could see where people might object to a certain staginess in his performance but I took this to be arising from the awkwardness of the character and not of the actor. I found the supporting cast to be mainly excellent especially Amanda Stenberg, Kaitlin Dever and Amy Adams. Colton Ryan was the most charming bully ever. I found in some shots Nik Dodani looked older than Platt but I found his performance fine. My only real problem is that I found the pacing of the last quarter of the film to drag and that perhaps the ostracizing of Hansen following his confession is not made strong enough for his final redemption. That may have worked fine on stage but I felt it needed to be made more dramatic for the movie. Overall though I liked the film and feel it should have enjoyed more success than it has received. | |
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