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The Search for General Tso

Play trailer Poster for The Search for General Tso 2015 1h 12m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Filmmaker Ian Cheney explores the origin of a spicy-sweet chicken dish that is a popular item in many of America's Chinese restaurants.

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The Search for General Tso

The Search for General Tso

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Critics Consensus

The Search for General Tso digs into the history of a beloved dish and uncovers a heaping helping of powerfully nourishing history along the way.

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Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Boston Globe 03/05/2015
3.5/4
Keeps digging and digging until it has not only solved the enigma of this particular dish but cast a light on an entire secret chronology of food, immigrant culture, and the way the two amplify each other. Go to Full Review
John Hartl Seattle Times 01/20/2015
3/4
Cheney (who worked on the unforgettable "King Corn"), obviously had a good time collecting their testimony, though he tends to side with the idea that the only authenticity is deliciousness. Go to Full Review
Michael O'Sullivan Washington Post 01/15/2015
3/4
At just over an hour, it's a surprisingly satisfying and tasty dish for anyone looking for something a bit less bland than the typical history documentary. Go to Full Review
Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com 07/17/2019
2.5/5
A crash course in the culinary evolution of Chinese American food is really what Cheney charts, though with such heady elements, one would have hoped there was more to savor. Go to Full Review
Stephen Saito Moveable Fest 11/20/2018
Not only has Cheney made something that tantalizes the tastebuds, but it's good for you too. Go to Full Review
Sherilyn Connelly SF Weekly 08/24/2017
The Search for General Tso is also a history of the Chinese immigrant experience in America, as the way into the hearts of xenophobic white Americans was through their stomachs. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Charles C 12/23/2023 A fun, informative search into the origins of not just General Tso's chicken, but American Chinese food as we know it today. Quite well produced. See more 01/12/2022 I thought that almost all of the documentary was great. I would have liked a little more description of what actually was in the original version, more than just it doesn't have sweetener, broccoli, and scallions. But I thought that they did the "search" well. However, am I the only person that was horrified by some of the imaging used? Did they seriously use something that looked like the Japanese rising sun flag when showing the Chinese immigrants spreading from the San Francisco Bay area to other parts of the US? They also used this cartoon-like imagery a few more times later in the film. I was horrified and I'm not even of Asian decent. See more 01/13/2021 I found this a fascinating documentary on a food I eat once a month. See more 02/10/2018 So the dish was inventor is in Taiwan ;D Felt so weird that there were so many foreigners in the movie talking about Chinese history .. See more 09/04/2017 "Chickity China, the Chinese chicken!" See more 07/04/2017 Pretty boring for most of its short length, taking 45 minutes to really get into the title's promise. Seem alike a short film would've been better for this story. See more Read all reviews
The Search for General Tso

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Ian Cheney explores the origin of a spicy-sweet chicken dish that is a popular item in many of America's Chinese restaurants.
Director
Ian Cheney
Producer
Jennifer 8 Lee, Amanda Murray, Lily Spottiswoode
Screenwriter
Ian Cheney
Distributor
Sundance Selects
Production Co
Wicked Delicate Films
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 2, 2015, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 5, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.3K
Runtime
1h 12m
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