Is Dear Evan Hansen Safe For Kids? Parent Movie Review
The Broadway hit musical has finally come to the big screen- and kids are going to want to see this one. They know the songs, they probably know the story too. But is Dear Evan Hansen safe for kids? This parent movie review will help you decide if this one is ok for your teens and tweens to watch.
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About Dear Evan Hansen
The breathtaking, generation-defining Broadway phenomenon becomes a soaring cinematic event as Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt reprises his role as an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.
Is Dear Evan Hansen Safe For Kids? Parent Movie Review
Musical theater is one of the purest forms of entertainment.
If you want to be moved, go watch a group of characters sing and dance their way across your heart.
And Dear Evan Hansen had that reputation of a show that left everything on stage leaving the audience a big mushy puddle of goo.
Does the movie evoke the same emotional impact? We can’t say for sure- since we never saw the show in a theater.
So we can’t compare to the stage.
But we can say this movie had us feeling E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G for over 2 hours, and that might be something parents want to consider before allowing their teens or tweens to watch Dear Evan Hansen right now.
This parent movie review will help you decide if Dear Evan Hansen is safe for kids in your house.
Language: Is It Safe For Kids In Dear Evan Hansen?
There’s a fair amount of curse words and swears used in this movie.
You’ll have d@mn, batsh!t, sh!t, h@ll and at least one use of the F word in the movie.
Parents also need to know that Dear Evan Hansen uses phrases like Chr!st sake and oh my G-d. We didn’t catch the combo of G-d d@amn in this one during the first watch.
Sexual Content In Dear Evan Hansen: Is It Ok For Kids?
There is some romantic attraction happening between characters with hand-holding and kissing, but no nudity or sex to be concerned about.
There is sexual language, however.
Boner, sex letter, kinky and rub my nipples are all part of the sexual content in Dear Evan Hansen. The latter includes a visual of a character doing just that as they sing the song.
Is Dear Evan Hansen Scary For Kids? Mature Content Warning- Big Time
Ultimately, what makes this show scary for teens and tweens to watch right now is the reality of it all. This movie is raw.
Kids have always had a hard time in high school, but no more so than living through these pandemic times. We all have to acknowledge that right now is an extremely challenging time for teens and tweens.
The entire plot of this movie centers around a child who dies by suicide and the devastation that death leaves behind for family and friends.
And devastation is an accurate description.
The acts and the reasons behind suicide are discussed (depression, anxiety, loneliness), and this absolutely could be a trigger for a child currently in crisis.
Mental health concerns of your family and your teens and tweens should be taken into account before deciding if Dear Evan Hansen is ok for kids.
It’s very dark and very sad, and extremely emotional.
If your family is undergoing any level of a mental health crisis at this time, we would not suggest watching this one for entertainment purposes.
What Ages Are Appropriate For Dear Evan Hansen?
This movie is rated PG-13 for language and thematic content (suicide).
Can you let your kids under 13 watch Dear Evan Hansen? What ages should watch Dear Evan Hansen?
We suggest sticking with the age rating on this one, and even then, only after considering your child’s own mental health right now. Truly, we suggest not allowing tweens to watch Dear Evan Hansen and considering high school and up for this movie.
Loving the songs and connecting with them is one thing, watching a 2 hour and 17-minute movie where it’s all acted out is another.
But Really: Is Ben Platt’s Age THAT Bad?
Not a parent review, but an observation.
Much has been made over how Ben is way too old to be playing this role.
He’s not the first full-grown adult to play a teen: Stockard Channing in Grease, Henry Winkler in Happy Days, Cory Monteith in Glee, and Paul Walker in Varsity Blues just to name a few.
Way too much has been made over this issue.
Look, it’s BEN FREAKING PLATT. Of course, he was tapped to play Evan in the movie, and if he hadn’t been, people would complain about that. It’s always something.
His voice is incredible and, sure, the hair and caked-on makeup is a bit distracting.
But he still made us feel E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G for over 2 hours, and that is what being an incredible actor is all about.
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Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
