'Heart-wrenching' drama music fans 'must see' now streaming for free
Fans have been warned to "grab your tissues"
A "heart-wrenching" drama that is perfect for music fans is now available to stream, as film fans warn "grab your tissues".
Dear Evan Hansen is a musical about a student - the titular Evan Hansen - who struggles with social anxiety and depression. Evan, played by Ben Platt, finds himself on an emotional journey after being caught up in a web of lies following the suicide of his classmate.
Based on the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical of the same name, the film adaptation was released in 2021 and became somewhat controversial with fans, with some saying it worked better on stage, and others complaining about changes to songs..
However, with its portrayal of mental health struggles, fans have said the film is "super emotional". And it is now available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
A 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."
Fans may recognise Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect) who stars as Evan Hansen, as well as Kaitlyn Dever (The Last of Us) who stars as Zoe Murphy. Colton Ryan (The Girl from Plainville) also stars as Connor Murphy.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, opinions appear to be divided as one person wrote: "Grab your tissues (and your Connor-signed cast) - cause Dear Evan Hansen is one heck of an emotional ride."
Another said: "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 added: "The music is brilliant, the meaning of the movie inspires me, it is a funny and lovable movie."
A fourth wrote: "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."
However, another viewer wrote: "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."
Over on Google reviews, the praise continued as one person said: "OMG, this movie is a tearjerker and it pulled at my heartstrings multiple times throughout the whole thing."
Another added: "....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.