Contrivances aside, Five Feet Apart is an effective “terminal teen” tear-jerker. It succeeds mostly because of the charm and appeal of our 2 main characters, thanks in great part to the talent of the actors portraying them. Say what you will about Cole Sprouse, but his smouldering “rascal bad boy” approach is on point. Unfortunately for the supporting cast, well, to put it nicely, they are all depth-less stereotypes who don’t add much of anything to the story (sorry Poe fans, it’s true). This film is definitely eye opening to those unfamiliar with Cystic Fibrosis and it’s effects, treatments, and prognosis’s. That element of the film is handled mostly with care, although it is used as a rather cheap plot device near the end. In fact, that entire final act cranks the melodrama meter to the max. But, if it’s tears the filmmakers wanted streaming down their audiences faces when the lights come up, then based on the screening I attended, they succeeded.