Based on the Cecil Murphy book, “Gifted Hands,” this inspiring TV movie about the nation’s leading pediatric neurosurgeon deserves a nine out of ten. 

Inspiring, insightful and graphic, yet uplifting, this story of overcoming childhood difficulties is near perfect.  The acting is exceptional on all parts and the only flaw I found was a small detail in the plot.

Deserted by his father and raised only by his illiterate, housekeeping mother, Ben “Bennie” Carson was just a below average student in a mixed racial school. 

Fortunately, his mother cared enough to give her sons opportunities that she never received.  She demanded two book reports per week from them and limited their TV usage to two selected programs every week. Bennie then skyrockets from the bottom to the top of his class, and enjoys it too.

Trouble comes again when the family moves so that Bennie and his brother          can attend an all black school.  Soon after the move, Bennie meets some new friends who are not exactly role models.  He buys a knife as a form of self-defense, but almost stabs his friend when he lets his temper get the best of him. By a stroke of luck, and what he considers fate, the knife broke and the classmate wasn’t harmed, sparing him of certain failure in life. After excelling academically in high school, Bennie gets a full ride scholarship to college.

Moving on to John’s Hopkins, Carson is shown performing three different and historic surgeries.  Carson shows bravery for performing a dangerous surgery as an unqualified intern and then goes on to prove his unprecedented talent while at the same time making history.  The young Bennie that fails at first on his times tables test becomes the first doctor to remove half of a human brain and separate twins that were conjoined at the head.

While completely uplifting, this movie is not for you if you mind seeing incisions, blood, lobotomies, and pumping hearts.  Some should be warned that the surgery scenes are extremely graphic in order to make the movie as realistic as possible.

Cuba Gooding Jr. does a great job at portraying his character as a brilliant, but modest individual.  His mother, Sonya, and wife, Candy, play relatively small parts, but the actresses Kimberly Elise and Aunjanue Ellis both do good jobs.

One thing that was left out, that I would have liked to see was what happens to his older brother, who is shown multiple times alongside Bennie at the beginning of the movie. After Ben leaves for college, you never get to see the brother again, and I want to know how much success Ben’s brother has in comparison to Ben.

 Receiving over four million views on Feb. 7, I think that this movie would have fared very well in the theaters.  Unfortunately, since it was not put in the theaters, you’ll have to watch noon on TNT.