Jenny Nicholson

The tl;dr is that the movie inexplicably cuts out a bunch of songs, every moment criticizing the title character (part of the point of the play is that he’s directly called out, more than once, including in one of the big songs, for the way he’s acting, the movie removes basically all of those scenes) and it minimizes the role of his mom, who is also a really important part of the play, and the movie version is so uninterested in anyone but Evan himself that it kills the whole point of the story and turns it into almost unambiguous praise of a terrible person.

It’s not reviewing badly because it’s a musical (a lot of the same people slamming it are like “go watch Come From Away instead”), it’s reviewing badly because the movie version is a really badly cut down version of the theatrical version with terrible casting that’s refusing to meaningfully criticize the main character despite him doing an objectively terrible thing.

Edited by Zendervai on Oct 13th 2021 at 6:51:14 AM

I think that's the right one, yes.

Jenny Nicholson doesn't like the stage musical as much as others, but she does point out a lot of places where the movie stumbles when the stage version didn't. And it sounds like her criticisms of the stage version are fair.

BTW, I wonder what that the three-hour project she's been working on is.

I was already turned off by the stage musical's premise. It sounds like the movie did it much.

I believe that video might be Barbie related.

I really don't like the musical, so I'm glad other people have watched this film so I don't have to.

I'm also glad Jenny called out the songs for all being sung in a trembl-y falsetto. That kind of writing needs to go away.

Yeah... scenes of the guy pretending to be a high-schooler are genuinely off-putting.

Only vaguely related, but probably my favorite mockery of Dawson Casting comes from the Fant4stic episode of Caravan Of Garbage where it genuinely seems like two 28 year olds are in the same science fair as an elementary schooler.

Honestly I never liked Platt's singing voice that much. I didn't even think he was a convincing high schooler onstage. I don't think he looks as old in the film as others do — he looks more like a very tall child who transformed into an adult somehow. (Insert John Mulaney joke here...)

I will defend Will Roland and his nasal voice though cuz A) that's just how his voice sounds and I like it and B) I actually do Love to Hate Jared in the stage play, cuz at least his character has some energy.

Why does Ben Platt look so much like the kid in the "haven't told anyone in 5 minutes" meme?

He looks like, of all people, Tony Shalhoub.

I'll take Monk's outdated takes on mental illness over this show's takes.

I am willing to give shows and movies a ton of leeway when it comes to casting high schoolers, because obviously you're going to have to use adults and also everybody around you looks more grown up than they actually are from a high schooler's perspective, and so I thought all the criticism that was coming out before the movie's release and immediately after that Ben Platt was too old to play Evan Hansen in the movie were overblown. But holy cow he (and his makeup/acting choices) sticks out like a sore thumb in every single clip Jenny shares, he looks closer to 50 than 20. The Pitch Perfect version of Ben Platt this is not, lol.

Part of the trick for casting adults as high-schoolers is that you need to be consistent about it. Everyone involved needs to look around the same age. So like, Riverdale (as ridiculous as it is) can kinda get away with it because the whole cast is like that.

This has Ben Platt be the only person cast like that with the other school characters either looking much younger or actually being much younger. He’s legit less convincing than the 30 Rock “how you doing, fellow kids” thing because that one was a fully intended entirely self-aware joke top to bottom, this looks like an adult actually did sneak into a school.

All I know about Dear Evan Hanson is that the "Sincerely, Me" song is a lure to trick people into thinking the musical has a completely different feel than what it actually does, according to the internet.

Also I can't stop listening to the song now pls send help

Edited by Mullon on Oct 15th 2021 at 10:19:35 AM

It's really odd, since Ben Platt is only 27, that is well within the 'TV highschooler' range, but ever choice made about his appearance, wardrobe, framing, etc. seems to be to make him look as old as possible. Some of the scenes with him and Amy Adams they legit look the same age.

That song is genuinely fun and good, the only one I cam listen to without getting upset, but definitely not an intended "lure" like "Waving Through a Window."

I think people overreact to how misleading the fandom is. The marketing for the show is horribly misaimed to be about generic inspirational junk, and that's a problem, but it was never really marketed as a gay show, at least not any more than other Broadway fare. If everybody believed a show was just what its fandom turned into cutesy animatics, every single show would be presumably about gay boys.

I was under the impression that a lot of people genuinely liked Dear Evan Hansen.

On Tumblr they do (or did), but I could never understand the appeal personally. Then again I am not very into musicals or theater to begin with.

I only ever saw people liking the songs, not necessarily the musical. But that's partly because I saw the songs used in quite a few animatics.

I liked it when I was a teen cuz I related to it a lot (and had a crush on Will Roland). Now I prefer Be More Chill, which is also kind of Snark Bait but I prefer its approach to themes like anxiety for at least having more energy and character. And it has more Will Roland.

I know it got a lot of flak for sweeping the Tonys the year it got onto Broadway. But that was partly because it was up against Come From Away (which is significantly better, IMO) and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (which is significantly more interesting and unique).

Maybe I mixed it up with Be More Chill because the posters for both have a very similar bright color scheme.

Edited by Weirdguy149 on Oct 15th 2021 at 10:03:24 AM

I don't think they were baiting you into watching a different show, but Sincerely Me has nothing in common with any other song in the musical. I think that if DEH was more of a dark comedy that song would have been an omen, but since it's very earnest, the song feels out of place.

Well, that's sort of the point. It's a complete fabrication of what Connor and Evan's lives were like, which is much more upbeat and joyous than reality, and from Jared's POV, which is way less serious than any other character.

Honestly that's probably why I like Jared so much as a character. He's so obviously a jerk and aware of the project being fucked up, he's like a light into what the show could be if it was more self-aware as a whole.

I hope Jenny dives back into the A Christmas Prince Cinematic Universe (ACPCU) someday. In her episode she called it a Cinematic Universe as a joke, but apparently several of the Netflix-Christmas-Specials-Involving-Fictional-European-Nations have been acknowledging the existence of each others fictional nations implying an actual cinematic universe. Notably the The Princess Switch series is included even though A Christmas Prince is also a movie in the first The Princess Switch.

Jenny makes their return with an hour and 20 minute video on Church of the Rock. They're a Christian Canadian church that does an annual Easter play in the form of pop-culture riffs. Prepare to see The Nativity in the form of Star Trek, The Princess Bride, Star Wars, Toy Story, and more.

Her channel always provides a glimpse into fascinating madness.

Best worst moments

1. Nazi singing Adele to mourn Indiana Jones
2. Marty having the absolute worst contrived death yet
3. Making Captain Jack a Christ figure
4. Lotso-Zurg-Satan