Emmanuel's Gift (2004)

82% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(1,433 ratings)

While being born with physical handicaps presents challenges no matter where you're born or under what economic circumstances, in many respects it's even more difficult when you're raised in Ghana, a Third World nation where much of the country's population lives in severe poverty and conventional… More While being born with physical handicaps presents challenges no matter where you're born or under what economic circumstances, in many respects it's even more difficult when you're raised in Ghana, a Third World nation where much of the country's population lives in severe poverty and conventional wisdom has it that those born with physical deformities have been cursed by the gods, and are fit to do little more than eke out a living as beggars. Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was a 27-year-old Ghanan who was born with only one leg; the shame led his father to abandon the family, but his mother was determined to see her son grow up with strength and dignity, and with the help of a prosthetic leg, Yeboah was able to walk and care for himself. Determined to show his countrymen that the handicapped were capable of more than most were willing to acknowledge, Yeboah contacted an American organization called the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and with their help, set out on an unusual quest -- learning to ride a racing bike, and then piloting it across the nation of Ghana. Emmanuel's Gift is a documentary which chronicles Yeboah's remarkable life and his courageous journey, as well as the impact it had on his family as well as on handicapped people throughout the African continent. Oprah Winfrey serves as narrator. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Lisa Lax, Nancy Stern
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Oct 21, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Feb 14, 2006
Studio: First Look Pictures

Critic Reviews

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
While Emmanuel's Gift has a moving story to tell, it does so in a less than compelling manner.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Emmanuel's Gift is certainly not a bad movie. It's just a case of good intentions unintentionally interfering with a great story.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
A documentary about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a one-legged young man from Ghana, Africa, who overcame his handicap to ride a bicycle across his country, among other amazing achievements.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Yeboah is so levelheaded about his own accomplishments that the swelling score and emotional narration from Oprah Winfrey feel embarrassingly sentimental.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Directed in the breathless inspirational tones of an infomercial, the film's an acceptable document of a thoroughly remarkable individual.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Emmanuel's Gift is a powerful story of political change almost smothered by contrivance.
David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
[It] is essentially a too-long overcoming-the-odds clip that helps fill up a hole or two in the Olympics TV schedule. Back to you, Bob Costas.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
[E]xtra poignant not just because it's true but also because of the refusal of directors Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern to pander to easy sentiment or to place Yeboah on a pedestal of superhumanity...
Jonathan W. Hickman, Entertainment Insiders
...a wonderfully inspiring film about overcoming disabilities and not forgetting others who also share your problems.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
An inspiring documentary about a charismatic and determined young man who almost single-handedly has changed the way the disabled are treated in Ghana, Africa.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Oprah Winfrey is almost too good at narration.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
Unfortunately, the sound-bite journalism of filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern glosses over the larger unanswered questions in the documentary.
, E! Online
Oprah Winfrey narrates, so you know this is a tear-jerking story of triumph through and through. With a little more production, heck, it could've been a sweeps-week ratings bonanza.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Emmanuel's Gift isn't great, but the story is and so, unquestionably, is Emmanuel himself.