Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009)

Simply Perfect

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This, unlike so many documentaries, closely (honestly) follows reality. It is the story of the life of a black American, raised in a low income, single parent household. Dramatic, honest in the troubles the young Carson faced and caused, it is well acted and impressive.Even those of us who share a humble beginning with similar financial and emotional struggles, and who have been highly successful, feel humbled by the efforts, and rewards from the efforts of this incredible American.I would encourage a follow-up visit to you tube.com for Dr. Carson's comments at the National Press Club following publication of his book "One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future." It shows how closely the film follows this incredible American's life.Not a 10, but certainly a valuable, interesting movie.

I'd like to see more movies like this one in the theaters. Extraordinary movie, fantastic actors. Kimberly Elise as Ben's mom (Sonya Carson) is amazing! Sonya is an example of what parenting means. She was not only concerned about giving good academic education to her children but taught them to have values and faith in God. If more parents would be concerned and involved in their children's education we would have more Einsteins, more Mozarts, more Carsons. I really recommend this movie to parents who care for their children and to children who want to understand why their parents expect so much from them. We need to remember that diamonds are created under great pressure.

When you look over the roles that Cuba Gooding Jr. has had over the years, seeing the diversity in the characters, you realize what a gifted actor he is. He shows it clearly in this role, as Ben Carson, gifted surgeon from very humble beginnings.The movie opens with a difficult case where Dr Carson is contemplating the separation of German conjoined twins, sharing a cranium and parts of their brains. His big hurdle is figuring out a way to keep them from bleeding to death during the surgery. From that we are treated to a long flashback of his life from a young student, through his teen years, and medical school.Ben Carson was not a "natural." He had developed spotty study habits and was distracted by hours of TV after school. As a result he was borderline failing in all his classes. But the awakening came when his mother insisted that he and his brother spend less time watching TV and more time reading books from the library.Ben Carson became a success from his mother's motivation, and from his own motivation to became a doctor. As the movie draws to its conclusion we are again taken to the beginning, the difficult case of the conjoined twins. He pioneered a procedure which proved to be successful.A bonus in the DVD extras include the real Ben Carson, who today is not that much older than the actor who plays him in this movie.

The Ben Carson Story never set out to a major film: this is obviously a film that appealed to Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr and he plays it very straight, and underacts, without underplaying.As I am deeply fascinated by all things neurological this was a really easy film for me to get into - but even if you have no real interest, the human side of this will really sideswipe you.It is incredibly and really frustratingly slow in places, but bear with me - the surgeries are amazing and very moving.Overall I'm giving this a 9, not for the production writing filming or direction which are at best 6 or 7 at most, but because films like this deserve to be made, should be made, and should be what we want to be made...Good, Moving, and Inspirational...