Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story traces the life of Ben Carson, a boy growing up in Detroit with separated parents, poverty and racial prejudice around him. He does poorly at school and has a fierce temper. His mother, Sonya, refuses to give up on him and pushes him to take opportunities she never had, encouraging his imagination and his belief in himself. That belief carries him toward his ambition of becoming a doctor, and ultimately to a career as a neurosurgeon.

The film was directed by Thomas Carter, whose earlier work includes Swing Kids, Metro, Save the Last Dance, Coach Carter and Hitched. It came between Coach Carter and When the Game Stands Tall in his filmography. John Pielmeier wrote the screenplay, David A. Rosemont produced, and the large credited cast runs to 82 names. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Ben Carson, with Kimberly Elise as Sonya Carson and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Candy.

Released in 2009, the drama runs 86 minutes and was produced in the United States by Sony Pictures Television Studios, Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentations, Magna Global Entertainment and The Hatchery. On IMDb it holds 7.4/10 from around 21,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.8/10 from roughly 805 votes, indicating a solidly positive response from audiences on both platforms.