I've been fortunate enough to have been on 3 Operation Smile missions and I'm leaving for my 4th in a couple of weeks. I found that this movie did a great job of creating the atmosphere of being on a mission.
I noticed that some of the review presented a very cynical view of how these missions are conducted- i.e.- Americans have to go to these countries to show the natives how to repair their babies. Those reviewers didn't pay close enough attention to the movie to see that the surgical team who operated on Lin was Chinese. Apart from the movie, Operation Smile's goal is to collaborate with the Op Smile chapters in each country to promote the development of their medical personnel so they can run their own missions.
Anyway back to "Smile", it gives an accurate portrayal of the positive, life-changing effect that one can get from helping another human being and it matches my experiences with Op Smile.
I noticed that some of the review presented a very cynical view of how these missions are conducted- i.e.- Americans have to go to these countries to show the natives how to repair their babies. Those reviewers didn't pay close enough attention to the movie to see that the surgical team who operated on Lin was Chinese. Apart from the movie, Operation Smile's goal is to collaborate with the Op Smile chapters in each country to promote the development of their medical personnel so they can run their own missions.
Anyway back to "Smile", it gives an accurate portrayal of the positive, life-changing effect that one can get from helping another human being and it matches my experiences with Op Smile.