Gifted Hands

good movie

I didn't care much about the artistic merits (or lack thereof) of the movie as my first reaction after watching it was pure outrage; outrage for seeing something very serious and delicate like people's health, the suffering of patients and of their families displayed with the sole purpose of self celebration. The climax of the movie is the end of the operation for separating two siamese twins, the first of its kind not ending with the immediate death of the patients; this is presented as an absolute personal triumph, among smiles, tears of joy and the eternal gratitude of the parents to the semi-god Dr Ben Carson. Undoubtedly the operation was of unprecedented difficulty and the fact of taking it up was a sheer act of bravery; and it goes without saying that blaming the surgical team for a possible bad result of such an operation would be unfair. BUT, what the movie chooses not to show, or even just mention in the post credits, is the aftermath of such operation: one of the twins remained in a vegetative state following the surgery, he never came out of his coma and died a few years later. The other twin recovered to a certain extent but he never learned to speak or feed himself, but he does enjoy visitors, and being taken for walks. The twins' father was emotionally unable to ever handle them, or share in their care, he became an alcoholic, spent all the couple's funds, and left their mother destitute and alone. She was forced to institutionalize them and a few years later she described her sense of guilt for agreeing to the operation that ruined the boys' prospect of ever having any quality of life. This is the reality, but reality would have hindered the display of personal triumph of Dr Ben Carson, so it was pushed under the carpet. Make no mistake, the medical skills of Dr Carson are out of discussion and his scientific merits cannot be denied. What I found outrageous is the fact that Dr Carson uses this occasion to brag about his successes (the movie of course is based on his own book), selecting only the part of reality which serves his purposes of self celebration.

Given the many terrible things Ben Carson said as a candidate and when working for Donald Trump, it is simply impossible to admire this man. Given the way he thinks about the world, I even doubt that he was a good surgeon.

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.

As usual, Cuba Gooding was fantastic in this drama! He's as good in comedies also! No one else comes to mind for playing Dr Ben Carson with the passion he projects throughout the movie. This is a man's man. Torn between his loyalty to his skills as a surgeon and a lack of faith in himself made this film all the more realistic! Cuba and Elise give performances that are amazing to watch! Comments to another forum express their objections to the way the race relations play in the movie while at the school..."but" it can't get any realer than that. I've seen it with my own eyes while attending colleges & this film really puts it down. Very emotional & inspiring film. Thanks to everyone involved for bringing us this fantastic true story!

If this wanted to send a powerful and motivation message, well, it failed. All of the character struggles were literally solved by "God, help me" or "you are smart, you can totally do it". And sincerely after trying really hard to make a character (even though it is supposed to be a real biography) likeable by not showing him doing any real mistakes with real consequences, we see this doctor more times in front of cameras than in front of actual books. Also, there isn't a single character that truly stands out besides Ben, because obviously they tried really hard to show how great he is, but it was boring and offending to see how the two female characters devoting their lives to him and all his college teachers and fellow doctors being men... Also incredibly prectictable, even the surgeries. A total waste of time. And also highly delusional

A good friend of mine advised me to watch this movie, so I did after he pushed me a lot. It's a fascinating story to watch and while watching the tension increased and it kept me sitting at the edge of my seat till the end. And the fact that this movie is based on a true story, makes it even more fascinating. The acting in this movie has been done wonderfully, as expected from Cuba Gooding Jr. Normally I don't watch these kind of movies, but I'm glad I watched this movie. As for anyone else who doubts about this movie, don't. Just watch it, it will be worth it!

I grew up hearing about some of Ben Carson's amazing surgeries and remember reading about him when I was a teenager, probably, so I was excited when I heard about this movie. I just watched it for the first time, and it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. I can't believe it was a made-for-TV movie! This movie tells the story of how Ben Carson went from being a kid who was a failure in school and had a very low self-esteem to a famous, gifted surgeon. It tells some about his family life and about two of his famous surgeries. This movie kept me glued to it all the way through--it was like a good book you can't put down!

I don't believe a word of this self-serving 'documentary. Carson has demonstrated that he is a liar or living in a fantasy world of denial. His surgical prowess is in question since it been discovered that this 'miracle worker' has 5 malpractice suits in which he settled to cover up his incompetence. Ben Carson cares about one thing and that's Ben Carson. Every story and life achievement once fact checked, does not hold up to even minor scrutiny and are heavily embellish to the point is a good possibility he should be getting treatment for psychological abnormalities. A peek into his home reveals extreme narcissism and is an alter to Ben Carson.

A movie about life, about the decisions you have to make from childhood to became something in your life. I recommend this movie to all, one of the best movies ever. It's not boring at all and Cuba Gooding Jr. make the character so real even if he doesn't look like an neurosurgeon or even a doctor. His mother and her education made a explosive turning in Ben life and like he said " I pray everyday " helped to reach his goal to became an doctor and not any doctor an devoted and respected neurosurgeon. Dr. Ben Carson was and is one of the best neurosurgeons alive. Because he is black teach us that God see no color when he think about us and with His help we can achieve everything we want in life.