Biography of Ben Carson who grew up to be Dr. Ben Carson, a world famous neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins.Biography of Ben Carson who grew up to be Dr. Ben Carson, a world famous neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins.Biography of Ben Carson who grew up to be Dr. Ben Carson, a world famous neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins.
- Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys
- 8 wins & 16 nominations total
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
- Candy
- (as Aunjanue Ellis)
Gregory Dockery
- Teen Curtis Carson
- (as Gregory Dockery II)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
10nimicas
Now this is what i call a true drama, a masterpiece performed by Thomas Carter and Cuba Gooding Jr. The story begins with biography of Ben Carson which was made quit interesting and fascinating. Young boy (Ben Carson) was between two chooses to admit a false fact that he is dumber than other kids in school or to be encouraged by his mother and start new saga in his personal life. When he begun reading books and understood that the new things he read can be used in life he was like in paradise and on the toped place on podium. Mom (Kimberly Elise) really supported her sons in all ways and dramatically wanted them to be more the she was in her life, when husband died she was prostrated but life for her and little Carsons was still going on. Ben Carson had to face another big problem in his life - a flush of anger which was eliminated from his life by the help of church and God. Ben Carson in his youth had a potential of choosing lots of different professions from the musician to the tops of physics or chemistry, but amazed by the fact that human mind can do so amazing thinks he chose a neurology . The movie was made quite dramatic and in high quality of acting, i've just missed one detail , when Candy Carson lost their Babbie twins i've missed some more drama from Ben Carson, it was like a non - matter fact in his life,despite the fact this movie was one of the best drama's i've seen in 2009. Applause goes to John Pielmeier, Thomas Carter, Cuba Gooding Jr.. 10/10. P.S sorry Sorry for some grammatical mistakes in this comment but it was wrote from heart :).
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 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.
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.
Says Dr. Ben Carson upon being asked why he wanted to be a brain surgeon during his screening interview as an applicant for internship at prestigious John Hopkins Hospital. That Carson would become eventually, perhaps, the best and most renowned Pediatric Neurosurgeon in the world is even a bigger miracle! I can identify with those words, because "What the human mind can conceive and believe, it can ACHIEVE!"-Dr. Napoleon Hill. Each time I sit down to write a review, my goal is to find some aspect of the film that inspires me, and then manage to express that in a way that will, in turn, serve to inspire you!
In the case of GIFTED HANDS, there is a lot of inspiration at its core! Dr. Carson's particular well-spring of inspiration is his faith in God. Unfortunately, there are always a few people who seem to find this religious source anathema to their continued existence on this planet! Why is that? I consider myself a spiritual person, but not really religious, in the traditional sense. Yet, I find this attitude just as baffling as those who cannot countenance a storyline where inspiration is NOT faith-based. Inspiration is inspiration, no matter who, where, how, when or why, IMO! GIFTED HANDS deserves KUDOS for several things it doesn't do: Despite being about an African-American trailblazer starting out in the 60's and 70's, there is only one brief scene where Carson is dissed simply for being "different". Certainly, there must have been a number of times in his life where he encountered racism, but one scene was enough to underscore this. (One of the BEST scenes in the film, BTW) Cuba Gooding, Jr. Was excellent (but not great) in the title role. Critiques; even with his wrinkles digitally air-brushed out, at 41, Gooding was too old to play a 19 year-old college Freshman. Also, as is usually the case with TV productions, some aspects were somewhat below par, causing me to rate this 8.5/10*
In the case of GIFTED HANDS, there is a lot of inspiration at its core! Dr. Carson's particular well-spring of inspiration is his faith in God. Unfortunately, there are always a few people who seem to find this religious source anathema to their continued existence on this planet! Why is that? I consider myself a spiritual person, but not really religious, in the traditional sense. Yet, I find this attitude just as baffling as those who cannot countenance a storyline where inspiration is NOT faith-based. Inspiration is inspiration, no matter who, where, how, when or why, IMO! GIFTED HANDS deserves KUDOS for several things it doesn't do: Despite being about an African-American trailblazer starting out in the 60's and 70's, there is only one brief scene where Carson is dissed simply for being "different". Certainly, there must have been a number of times in his life where he encountered racism, but one scene was enough to underscore this. (One of the BEST scenes in the film, BTW) Cuba Gooding, Jr. Was excellent (but not great) in the title role. Critiques; even with his wrinkles digitally air-brushed out, at 41, Gooding was too old to play a 19 year-old college Freshman. Also, as is usually the case with TV productions, some aspects were somewhat below par, causing me to rate this 8.5/10*
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...
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...
Did you know
- TriviaCuba Gooding Jr. (Ben Carson) and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Candy Carson) are both the same age as Kimberly Elise, the actress who portrays Ben Carson's mother in the film.
- GoofsThe shot of the cityscape appearing at the beginning, after Ben Carson accepts to perform surgery on the twins, is presented as ULM (Germany) but actually shows Hamburg.
- Quotes
Sonya Carson: I didn't say they weren't expensive clothes. I said they're cheap. Most folks that wear cheap clothes on the outside are dead on the inside. The folks I work for, they buy clothes that last. That's what I try to get you.
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 30m(90 min)
- Color
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