Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009)

ridiculous rating

recommended

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

As I write this, the prior most recent posting about this movie is from December 2014, well before Ben Carson made his announcement to run for the Presidency. To my mind, there's no finer human being on the planet than Carson, a soft spoken individual who strikes a chord with people when he speaks, especially with the common sense approach he takes to issues that plague current society. It will be interesting to see how far he goes in his quest and what tangible impact he makes on the political scene.Reading some of the other reviews here, there are those who doubt that the Ben Carson story presented here is actually true. One needs to pick up the book upon which the movie is based, and read the Ben Carson story first hand. His is a remarkable journey proving that if someone like him, growing up in impoverished circumstances with little hope of a future, can actually rise above those surroundings to accomplish whatever he's determined to do. Much of the credit is due to a remarkable mother who believed in him and brother Curtis, setting them on a life long path of reading, learning and accomplishing things that others would think impossible.The events in the movie are all documented in "Gifted Hands" the book, and if anything, the book is more compelling than the film because one gets a sense of Carson's innate humanity in dealing with the circumstances and situations which forged his life. One reviewer on this board dismisses the knife incident as if contrived for the film, but this event was a seminal moment in Carson's life that made him realize that a singular instance of thoughtlessness could doom one's life forever. Through the power of prayer and applying his own determined initiative, Ben Carson has become a role model that parents of any race can direct their own children to emulate.

Why is it that, today, if the subject matter is that of a black person, it is nearly always is reviewed positively no matter if the portrayal is good or really bad.Cry racism or bigotry, but the question still remains.I am not talking about the real story of Ben Carson, but the Hollywood portrayal and synthesized story. Of course, this is typical Hollywood theatrics and often called "artistic license".I, for one, would like to see Hollywood present a real story without embellishing it. Especially when it comes to racial issues. Hollywood is biased and it shows.Bravo to Ben Carson, but not to this production (among many) for trivializing the fact in favor of a "good story".

This movie is about a young boy who lived with his mother and his older brother. The movie begins in 1987, where Dr. Ben Carson goes to Germany to visit a couple named Peter and Augusta Rausch, who have twins conjoined at the head. He knows that chances of saving them both will be a risk, because one baby always dies in situations like that. Ben agrees to do the operation, but he will wait four months so he can come up with a plan to save them both. While looking into some of his books, the movie flashes back to the year 1961, where 11 year old Ben Carson starts out life as an African American child from a one parents home with only a mother, with failing grades at school. Ben has an older brother named Curtis. Ben's mother starts making all the decisions for him, even though she can't even read because she dropped out of school herself, but she doesn't want the same for her boys. Their mother went to a mental institution to check herself out and she made them promise her that they would learn their multiplication table. When she sees her two sons' success hindered by TV, she schedules times that they are allowed to watch TV and when they aren't. , boys show great interest in watching only a quiz show later on and commands them to read two books per week from the library and give her a book report, she also moves them to better schools. This was a really great movie to watch because part of the movie focused on racism. Ben Carson went through being called names and not getting to get into college or getting a job because he was black. The kids and even the principle at school made fun of him because he was black, even though he was a very smart kid. This is definitely an inspirational movie, and I think many people should have the chance to watch it.

I found this movie deeply moving. As a person of faith, I was impressed by the positive depiction of religion in helping Ben Carson and his mother to strive to overcome negative influences in their lives.In response to ctomvelu-1 who commented on "evil racist whites (what other kind could there be in a story like this?", I would like to point out that the psychiatrist who helps Ben's mother overcome depression, the science teacher who shows Ben another world in a microscope, the admissions counselor who is impressed by Ben's interest in classical music are positive white role models, just to name a few. The black teenage gang member is also depicted as the kind that holds fellow blacks back by berating those who strive for excellence for trying to be white. More people of all races should see this movie.