This review of “Dear Evan Hansen” was first published after the film’s September 9, 2021, premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
Is there something about getting through 2020 and the first eight months of 2021 that makes people want to sing and dance? You’d think so from the movies, which this year will include Steven Spielberg’s new version of “West Side Story,” Leos Carax’s wacko Sparks musical “Annette,” Christopher Ashley’s version of “Come From Away,” Jon Chu’s version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights,” Miranda’s version of Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick … BOOM!” and Stephen Chbosky’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” which opened the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.