Dear Evan Hansen Trailer: The World's Oldest Teen Commits Emotion Crimes

Ever since the first trailer for "Dear Evan Hansen" dropped back in May, the internet has not stopped roasting it. Despite the endless chorus of criticism, Universal Pictures released a final trailer today just in time for the film's upcoming theatrical release. Based on the smash-hit Broadway musical from 2016, Ben Platt returns to the titular role regardless of the fact that it's a lot easier for a 27-year-old to play a teenager on a massive stage far away from the audience than it is in ultra-HD blown up on a movie screen. Casting decisions aside, the plot of "Dear Evan Hansen" is and has always been criticized for being problematic at best and straight up emotionally abusive at worst.

Platt's Evan Hansen is an anxious and isolated high schooler who is encouraged by his therapist to write letters to himself. Unfortunately, one of Evan's letters ends up in the hands of a fellow student who later dies by suicide and his grieving parents mistakenly believe the letter was written by their deceased son. Evan then finds himself as the center of attention and tasked with the moral quandary of whether or not to tell the truth about the letter's origin, or maintain the lie that the note was written by the late student.

The show won six Tony Awards including one for Platt's universally lauded performance as well as an Emmy and Grammy. Yes, that does mean Ben Platt is just an Oscar shy of an EGOT and he's not even 30-years-old, all for a role in a show that is sure to fire up a lot of Opinions™ once the theatrical run starts. Until then, we've got the final preview trailer to tide everyone over before the proverbial thunderdome of "Dear Evan Hansen" discourse begins.

The new trailer showcases Ben Platt's gorgeous voice singing segments from the song "Waving Through A Window," helping prove that musicians and lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("The Greatest Showman," "La La Land") genuinely know how to write one hell of a song. It's a genuine shame that Platt's talent has become a footnote, outshined by the valid critiques of some of the creative choices on display. 

Interspersed through the vocal performance are moments from the film featuring the star-studded cast including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever ("Booksmart"), Amandla Stenberg ("The Hate U Give"), Colton Ryan (Apple TV+'s "Little Voice"), Nik Dodani (Netflix's "Atypical"), DeMarius Copes (Broadway's "Mean Girls"), and Danny Pino ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit").

The film is directed by Stephen Chbosky ("The Perks of Being A Wallflower," "Wonder") and the screenplay is penned by Steven Levenson ("Fosse/Verdon" and the upcoming film adaptation of "tick, tick... BOOM!"), who also wrote the book for the stage production. Produced by Ben Platt's father Marc Platt ("La La Land," "Into the Woods," "Mary Poppins Returns") and Adam Siegel ("2 Guns," "Drive"), "Dear Evan Hansen" is executive produced by Michael Bederman, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

"Dear Evan Hansen" opens in theaters September 24, 2021.