Picture yourself in front of a huge crowd of people, giving a speech you don’t want to give and dropping your script onto the floor. Based on the book and musical, Stephen Chbosky’s Dear Evan Hansen features an unconfident and flawed main character Evan Hansen. He is clearly not very social and does not have much hope in himself. 

Through a series of miscommunications and lies, the world believes that Evan was best friends with a student who recently committed suicide. This was not true. 

Arguably the most impactful moment was when Evan gave his speech in front of the entire school. It displayed a clear image of where he was at in the story. 

Evan was clearly making progress. By going up in front of an entire audience of people, Evan was able to start overcoming his anxiety and using his voice which he was not able to do before.

Despite this, he still had a lot of growing to do. Even though Evan was telling people to speak up, he was not being truthful in the speech he was giving. In fact, it was at this moment that his initial lie would grow into something overwhelming.

A critique that I have of the movie is that many scenes are incredibly awkward to watch. I couldn’t help but laugh at the interactions between Evan Hansen and Connor Murphy. The directors were clearly trying much too hard to cater to their targeted audience: dorky teenagers. 

While this mostly comes off as uncomfortable for the viewer, it makes the characters seem realistic. Everyone, even the love interest, has their flaws and depth. 

Evan Hansen’s speech turns into a song that encapsulates the main message of the story. Regardless of how cheesy the movie may be, it is a message that we all need to hear: check in on the people around you, talk to the people you care about before they’re gone, and don’t regret not saying something.

At the end of the film, the difference in Evan is clear. He stands up taller, not just physically but mentally as well. Dear Evan Hansen is a movie about growth, compassion and community.