Calling the film Dear Evan Hansen bad might be an understatement. From start to finish the movie was horrible. It was poorly written, they broke out into song randomly, and personally, I didn’t appreciate the ending.

Going into the theater, I had only heard negative things about the movie, but I did my best to view it with a clear head, as any good journalist should. Once the movie started, all the criticism I had heard came to light. My biggest concern is that it was not written for the big screen.

For those who don’t know, Dear Evan Hansen is also a Broadway musical, and it should’ve stayed that way. I have never seen the musical, but I have to imagine that it is better than the movie, as musicals are generally created for the stage and the interaction with a live audience. Plus, reviews for the Broadway show have been overwhelmingly positive.

The biggest issue I had was the placement of the songs. It seemed that out of nowhere the characters would just start singing and I’d be left confused as to why. On top of that, when they were singing it was hard to tell if it was an inner monologue or they were speaking to the people around them. Sometimes it was both, and this made the movie hard to follow.

The plot wasn’t that enjoyable either, but that isn’t the movie’s fault since I’d imagine that the plot is generally the same across the musical, book, and movie. The ending left you feeling like there should be more to come but it just ends. The ending was a shame because up until that point the movie was starting to become a bit more watchable. Things seem to be going well for Evan and it seems that his life has turned around. Sadly, the movie hits a wall and ends abruptly.

The fact that the theatre was empty sums up how I feel about this movie and I’d recommend doing something better with your time, like watching the Harold and Kumar series.