Five Feet Apart

A wonderfully written story, played by such talented actors. The little details that make it just that little bit more intense. The right expressions that make it just that little bit more touching. The right words that make just that much of a difference. I held my breath through the whole movie, waiting for it to go wrong. I felt so immersed in the characters, and their stories. Their pain, their longing, their restrictions, they hit me right in the heart. And if that isn't a sign of a good, emotional movie, I don't know what is.

Teenage romance movies always hold special places in a lot of people's hearts, but depending on the decade your familiar with, the elements and presentation are a little different. Eighties brought comedy with emotional drama, nineties was the Nicholas Sparks beginning with the cute, cheesy tactics, early 2000s were all about the Nicholas Sparks, super dramatic stories that hold a lot of places in the hearts of the public. Then came the 2010s and the twist was now romance, but put some type of terminal illness with it to sweeten the deal... So tonight's movie continues this current trend, taking another story in hopes of invoking tears and pulling the heart strings of the audience at the same time. Yes, tonight is Five Feet Apart and yours truly is here to write his reviews as always and share his opinions. Let's go:

Movie: Five Feet Apart (2019)

Director: Justin Baldoni Writers: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis Stars: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Claire Forlani

LIKES: Acting Character Use Comedy Appreciation of Art Beautiful Romantic Nice Surprises

SUMMARY: The latest movie fills the formula of sad, drama meeting the romantic teenage plotlines. Fortunately, the acting is there to bring a fantastic dynamic to latch onto in the form of Cole Sprouse and Harley Lu Richardson. Their chemistry is amazing, bringing the two sides of the romantic cone to life in a very sweet, charming, and surprisingly realistic way. Five Feet Apart takes these characters and does a fantastic job advancing them past the carbon copy templates most of these films do. The supporting cast does a wonderful job of being integrated into the story, their own tales and dynamics meshing well to bring out the main characters in new ways. Of course the movie somehow manages to add on to the simple romantic story by appreciating other dynamics that can be included in romance movies. The comedy is simple and classy, fitting very well with the tone of the movie without being too forced. For those enjoying symbology in the visual arts, the rooms and works of our proverbial Romeo and Juliet have plenty of artistic bite that is quite impressive to behold, instigating a little jealously in my mind about their artwork. As for the romance component itself, again I give them props for finding a way to bring love and beauty into a realistic way that was both poetic and fun to behold. Five Feet Apart takes most of the cheese factor out of the romance, and instead makes it an adventure that is fun to go on. The ordeal of the disease contending with the blossoming love is a driving force of the film and somehow manages to be fresh despite how plotted love tales are. Perhaps it is also the surprises that come in at points that assists with keeping the adventure going, finding ways to divert from the film, without going too far away from the tale at hand. With all these components it works very well for me.

DISLIKES:

Predictable Cheesy At Times Scientific Stretches The Parent Components?

SUMMARY: No surprise, the movie follows much of the same formula, and my friend and I were able to predict much of the movie based on the trailers we had seen. Fortunately, surprises were able to help with this, but they still held some trouble keeping the romantic movie cheese fest from happening. Five Feet Apart leaves much of the mushy, gushy, Nicholas Sparks like drama that is difficult to get away from, which is a selling point for most going to these movies, but for me could have used a little more spice up. In addition, some of the scientific plausibility for one with my mindset are difficult to get over in terms of the miracles vs. the statistical chances of the real life. Some of the interactions, primarily in the ending occurring the way it did, was very unrealistic and seeing these miracle moments only added to the cheesy coincidences that this series is famous for. If that's not something that bothers you, no worries on this, but for me this is just something to warrant on. As for the parents, they were okay, but I felt that for something as intense as the themes in this movie, some more involvement would be seen. Five Feet Apart's weakest characters are actually the parents, reduced to a few lines of dialogue and the background images. Sure, it's not about them, but in the other films similar to this, the parents were very active in the support of the kids. What happened here?

The VERDICT:

Overall, Five Feet Apart was much better than I had anticipated, with a lot more heart, artistic beauty, and adventure than many of the romance/dramas that I've seen. A strong cast, character usage, and surprises in terms of comedy and plot were the selling points for this reviewer in regards to this film. It still has predictability and cheese factors, primarily in the scientific stretches, but the good far outweighs the bad for me in regards to this category of movies. I think this is one for the theater in regards to dramas. If not check this one out for a rent/stream because it's got the heart that movies are known to have.

My scores are:

Drama/Romance: 8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0

My husband and I saw this last night, we are in our 30's, and both cried like babies all throughout the movie. I didn't even cry this much in the Notebook or PS I Love You or Me before you (and any other sad movie you can think of). I wanted to write a review because I hear a lot of comparisons to The Fault In Our Stars; yes both have sickly teenagers who fall in love but the stories are still completely different. Haley Lu Richardson's acting is amazing and blows it out of the park compared to Shailene Woodley...though not nice to compare as both are great stories in their own unique ways. Her portrayal of Stella was so natural and believable though. The rest of the actors were great too. Take tissues, eat candy, enjoy life and hug your loved ones. Go see this movie!

I feel compelled to write this review for all of those guys who get dragged along to see some cheezy romance flick by the wife or girlfriend and can barely make it through without trying to duck into the adjacent theater for something action oriented.

That's how I ended up watching this, but honest-to-God . . . I have to give credit where credit is due. I'm usually so cynical about movies that seem so clearly intent on going straight for the heartstrings and forcing every girl in the audience to go for the emergency kleenex stash in the purse. I hate that feeling of being manipulated. "Five Feet Apart" actually works very well on all of the important levels. Cystic fibrosis is not a common disease, and I certainly wasn't familiar with it. But the script and the actors handle the condition with surprising sensitivity. Rather than making it the focus of an emotional trainwreck, no one seems to be working overtime to make you feel sorry for them. Rather, we get to see what seems to be a surprisingly appealing group of teenagers who've accepted the condition in various ways long before the opening scenes of the movie, and they are going to move forward with life without asking for our sympathy.

There is a serious level of chemistry between Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse that has to be one of the most believable pairings I recall in this genre. The growing sparks between them effectively places this truly debilitating genetic condition in just the right context. They don't want your sympathy--they just want a slim chance at happiness. Yes, the teenage girls in the audience were crying rivers at the end . . . but for once . . . I could completely understand it.

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.