The Donut King

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1:47

The Donut King

Released Oct 30, 2020

1h 30m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy builds a multi-million dollar empire by baking America's favorite pastry -- the donut.

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Critics Consensus

A documentary that's more than just a sweetly filling treat, The Donut King tells a real-life rags-to-riches story with genuine depth and breadth.

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Louise Rugendyke

Sydney Morning Herald

[An] overly long documentary that, while interesting, skips over some important details in the past decade or so of Ngoy’s life.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 26, 2022

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John Doyle

Globe and Mail

A fine if erratic documentary anchored in a food-business phenomenon.

Jun 1, 2021

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Alonso Duralde

TheWrap

It's a dizzying saga of ups and downs, and of one of this nation's most beloved sweet treats, and a fascinating tale of sacrifice, success, and hubris.

Nov 29, 2020

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Jane Freebury

The Canberra Times (Australia)

The Donut King is replete with lively, energetic characters and important social history, but I think the filmmaker could have drawn from her material more insight into the American Dream.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 23, 2022

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John Serba

Decider

The movie intellectually stimulated me; it also made me hungry as hell.

Jun 2, 2021

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Gu keeps The Donut King an upbeat affair.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Jan 26, 2021

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Tony S

A true story about a remarkable man who came to California from Cambodia as a child and became the Donut King of California. His work ethic, and that of his family resulted in a dynasty that employed other Cambodians and put a number of them on to the same path to success that he followed.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

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harrison r

Fascinating and excellent cautionary tale!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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greg r

Fascinating story, that could likely not be repeated in Trump's America. How fast we as a nation have fallen.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

3 Stories are told in this documentary: - How Cambodian refugees escaped war and genocide and came to the US - Ted's (the donut king) personal story. - How the donut business evolved over the decades and children of Cambodian immigrants are taking over their parents' businesses. The first 2 are absolutely incredible.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

yes! I knew more than most about this particular, awesome Los Angeles situation but it was great to hear from so many stake holders -- and the longer story of Ted Ngoy himself is... so intense.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Inspirational. Good lessons to learn from both the successes and failures

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Alice Gu

Director

Ted Ngoy

Self

Farhad Amid

Producer

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The Donut King: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy builds a multi-million dollar empire by baking America's favorite pastry -- the donut.

Director: Alice Gu
Producer: Farhad Amid
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Production Co: Logan Industry
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 30, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2020
Runtime: 1h 30m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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