........................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, Colombia...and ORLANDO, FL "The brain is a miracle!" 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! These words are easy to identify with because "What the human mind can conceive and believe, it can ACHIEVE!"-Dr. Napoleon Hill.Every 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 story line where inspiration is NOT faith-based. Inspiration is inspiration, no matter who, where, how, when or why! 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. Two Constructive 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 slightly below par, causing me to rate this 9* as opposed to 10* .....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA! Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

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.

Cuba Gooding plays Dr Ben Carson.It starts off with young Ben a black child living with his mother and brother Curtis. Ben is not doing well in school and is being made fun of.His mother keeps telling him he has to study and watch less TV. She has a strong faith in God will not accept excuses. She is hardworking and encourages the kids to read and use their brain.Ben's mother asks him to read some of the things in the cabinet where boxes are. He says he cannot see that far away. She discovers he is having trouble reading because he cannot see and probably needs glasses.She explains to him some excuse about her not see without her glasses but she never told her kids she cannot read. This and other things cause her to get depressed and she seeks help.This story shows the hardship of a black single mom raising two boys. It shows the Ben being made fun of and at times put down because he is smart and also because he black.Ben has little faith in himself but the constant reassurance from his mom helps him succeed as a prominent a brain surgeon.You may cry at times. Ben and his mother and the cast are real good actors. I think this is a wonderful movie. You can see it on YouTube it is in English but there are subtitles.Gifted Hands http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFvRWiFV4N0

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!