Five Feet Apart

Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) is a teenager that spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines and she has got everything figured out until she meets Will (Cole Sprouse), another teen with the same terminal and chronic illness. Flirtation quickly turns into broken rules with potentially deadly consequences.

Our Take: If you're in the mood for a good cry in a dark theater, it's a good watch; but it will be just as good when it is on Netflix and can be watched in the comfort of your home with your favorite stuffed animal and a box of Kleenex. Post-Credit Scene: Nope, you can run to the bathroom as soon as they start rolling.

Let us guess: you loved The Fault in Our Stars. So are you in the mood for another sick kids movie? Well, this checks all the boxes. There are kids. The kids are sick. Plus, it tugs on all the appropriate heartstrings. But if you look beyond the trope, what is there?

Here, there's actually a lot to unpack.

This was the directorial debut for Justin Baldoni (of Jane the Virgin fame) and he did a decent job putting the movie together. The cast was the right mix of a popular teenage heartthrob, a kid you remember from some show you used to watch, and a talented girl next door. There's an appropriate amount of chemistry between Richardson and Sprouse. The soundtrack assembled every indie rock song that mentioned medicine or illness, but it was employed in a very tasteful manner. There were a few moments of questionable shakey cam footage that made watching difficult. There was a scene that was purposefully dragged out for the purpose of making the audience uncomfortable in a completely unnecessary way. The dialogue was a bit weak at times, but for characters that you knew had an impending expiration date, they were all fairly well developed. It wasn't perfect, but in the grand scheme of sick kid movies, it certainly ranks and in some ways, set itself apart.

Unlike similar films of the past (A Walk to Remember, The Fault in Our Stars, and Everything Everything to name a few) this one wasn't based on a book (plot twist: there's a book based on it). It is also set primarily at the hospital and over a fairly short period of time, which tightened the narrative in a strange and at times off-putting way that other films have managed to escape. The film stayed fairly true to treatment mechanisms that are available to those with cystic fibrosis thanks to its consultant, the late Claire Wineland, though it fell into the same controversy its predecessors have by casting able-bodied individuals to play diseased and disabled characters. Some have called the film disease-appropriation, but as two people who don't have cystic fibrosis, this film did bring our attention to a disease we'd never heard of. It's not our place to say whether this newfound awareness is good, but we do hope that it has a positive impact by showing a snippet of what some people with CF deal with.

Not necessarily from the movie. There was a girl with Cystic Fibrosis in the crowd that completely lost it. The story hit way too home for her. Considering that I dont see how I couldn't give this a rave review.

Greetings again from the darkness. The all-too-familiar sick/dying teenager genre is frequently associated with Lifetime Channel movies or something of that ilk. What sets this one apart (and above) many in the slew of similarly themed movies is the script, and more so, two outstanding lead performances. Director Justin Baldoni is best known as an actor and director of TV projects, but he (mostly) handles the script from Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis quite well.

Rising star Haley Lu Richardson (COLUMBUS, SPLIT) plays Stella, a teenager who has been dealing with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) her entire life. When we first meet her, she has checked back in to the hospital for a "tune-up". Despite her breathing struggles and medical issues, Stella is a shining light of optimism who is friendly with the entire hospital staff and other patients. She's also OCD and maintains a strict regimen on her meds in hopes of hanging on long enough for the holy grail - a lung transplant, or ultimately a miracle cure for this death sentence disease. Stella maintains two to-do lists: one for the day, and another for her bucket list. She also runs a YouTube channel where she educates us on what it's like living with CF.

On one of her frequent visits to the hospital nursery to watch the newborn babies, Stella crosses paths with Will (Cole Sprouse), a more cynical CF patient who has B cepacia form - so deadly that sufferers aren't included on the lung transplant list. In contrast to Stella, Will wonders if the hassle of treatment is worth the pain and inconvenience, when so little hope is present. CF patients are required to don gloves, masks, and oxygen packs. One rule that must not be broken is to maintain at least a 6 foot distance at all times between themselves and any other CF patient. The risk of passing along their specific mixture of bacteria is simply too great.

'Opposites attract' is in play here as Stella and Will share only one trait, and it's a bond where being too close could literally kill one or both of them. These are smart and interesting characters who understand there are no "happily ever afters" in their future. We are along for the ride as they learn more about each other. Will is a talented sketch artist with a wicked sense of humor in his cartoons, while Stella carries a special burden of putting others at ease while focusing on the present and looking to the future, thanks to the exploits of her beloved older sister Abby (Sophia Bernard).

Other supporting actors include Claire Forlani as Will's mother, Parminder Nagra (BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM) as the doctor, Kimberly Hebert Gregory as the strict and caring Nurse Barb, and Moises Arias as Poe, a witty gay teenager and fellow CF patient, who has been friends with Stella since they were young kids. As the romance blooms for Stella and Will, there are some too-familiar moments and a couple of lame musical interludes with slow-motion ... but there are also some terrific and heartfelt scenes. In particular, a pool cue at the pool is extraordinarily tender and romantic.

The film teases us a few times with assumptions, but the theme of human touch is ever-present. For CF patients, is love selfish or is it an inherent need? 'The lights are like stars' is a nice touch that explains how this disease forces these folks to think a little differently and find joy in the moment ... yet still keep their distance. Sure, Ms. Richardson (a bona fide star in the making) and Mr. Sprouse are a bit too old to be playing teenagers, but their talent allows us to take in the layers here with the disease and the limitations on life. The film has plenty of laughs and plenty of tears (bring your tissue) as we watch a heartfelt romance while also learning some of the challenges facing the 30,000 CF patients in the U.S.

I loved this movie. The story is very beautiful. It gives you hope of life and takes it from you. the Romance in this film is beautiful. My eyes did not bleed because of a film a while ago

If you have watched the trailer you know how the story would unfold. Sick teens, fights at first, falls in love, does things to comfort each other, one lead saves the other with some tears and a hopeful ending. There would be no over the top moments or mind bending twists. This movie follows a template like I mentioned but its not boring. Haley lu is expressive and you feel for her. She has a complex to be organized and wants to live and expects other to follow the same. Cole sprouse is rigid at first but towards the climax, he has a powerful scene to redeem himself. Climax I feel was a bit stretched , could have been crisp if it was short. A decent directorial debut from justin baldoni. All in all a decent movie. Delivers what it promises.. Nothing more nothing less..!