re: Dear Evan Hansen film getting some harsh reviews.

Some of the negative reviews mention that what worked on stage didn't translate to film, and they put that on the director. Platt's appearance is the elephant in the room in most of the reviews.

This article breaks down the split in reviews.

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Truth be told, the film's polarizing reception isn't exactly shocking. For all the success it's enjoyed on the awards circuit, the Dear Evan Hansen stage musical has long split Broadway and musical theater fans over the way it handles sensitive topics involving mental health and teenagers, and the movie adaptation is doing the same thing. Case in point, Marya E. Gates' review for The Playlist describes Dear Evan Hansen as "emotionally manipulative" and notes that "the film’s mental health treatment remains deeply problematic." Cinema Blend's Corey Chichizola, on the other hand, praises the movie for being an "emotionally exhausting drama" (in a good way) and feels it's "ultimately a moving piece that asks some tough, contemporary questions."

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Interestingly, if there's one thing critics seem to agree on so far, it's that Dear Evan Hansen is far less visually striking than most other movie musicals. Some of this can likely be ascribed to the film being shot amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with Baron writing, "the sheer visual monotony of Dear Evan Hansen feels bourne out of an inability to shoot a full movie."

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