Searching
Screen Gems | Release Date: August 24, 2018
7.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 336 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
295
Mixed:
34
Negative:
7
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
tiparOct 2, 2018
I loved the Mystery, I mean, it goes little by little and nevertheless you are interested in the story. But overall it is not the big movie I was expecting for. Enjoyable, that is sure. I think that the resolution killed a little the story.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
yosemiteSep 5, 2018
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A different type of movie. Very creative using the internet to tell the story . The plot is well established and the acting-what there is of it- is o.k.. Has a twist at the end. Not sure what the take away is here. Is the format trying to show how life has been reduced to a click of the lap top or that helicopter parenting can go many ways. Good entertainment… Expand
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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4
imthenoobOct 11, 2018
Cho did a great job and I think it was unique to film it using smartphones and computer screens but that would be about the extent of my praise. The plot has very much been done before and the ending was pretty unsatisfying. It's a very slowCho did a great job and I think it was unique to film it using smartphones and computer screens but that would be about the extent of my praise. The plot has very much been done before and the ending was pretty unsatisfying. It's a very slow paced film that makes it hard to maintain your interest throughout.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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5
LamontRaymondSep 1, 2018
It's a decent film, but within this "screens" sub-genre, it's buried by the Unfriended films which don't cheat nearly as much. This one is a little flaccid. Cho is good, but not good enough to carry the film.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
SavvyAug 31, 2018
Very gimmicky film ... long stretches of it felt like a Student Film. The last 20 minutes DOES salvage what, by then, had become a rather tedious filmic experience. Still, I don't know HOW it's scoring 72 with Critics. Lots of plot holesVery gimmicky film ... long stretches of it felt like a Student Film. The last 20 minutes DOES salvage what, by then, had become a rather tedious filmic experience. Still, I don't know HOW it's scoring 72 with Critics. Lots of plot holes when you think back over ... Eh. (And Deborah Messing feels really flat or overacting, alternates.) See it on video.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
NavyBeanSep 2, 2018
Forgettable. Robin Williams' performance is strong ... wait he's not in it. That's how forgettable this is. The movie wraps up way too quickly and neatly. I thought the opening scenes were strong if not a little too reminiscent of a scene inForgettable. Robin Williams' performance is strong ... wait he's not in it. That's how forgettable this is. The movie wraps up way too quickly and neatly. I thought the opening scenes were strong if not a little too reminiscent of a scene in Pixar's "Up." There are things to like but it's all undermined by the last 15 minutes.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
TheDavoOct 14, 2018
The movie works for perhaps 60 or 70 % of the time. But a ridiculous, nonsensical ending and other clumsy plot devices make the movie only average. Some work on the plot and the ending would have made it a dramatically better movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
moviemitch96Aug 31, 2018
At times, this film was a decent and entertaining thriller, but other times it came off as made-for-TV quality to me with mediocre acting from some. John Cho however makes the most of his starring role and turns in a pretty solid performance.At times, this film was a decent and entertaining thriller, but other times it came off as made-for-TV quality to me with mediocre acting from some. John Cho however makes the most of his starring role and turns in a pretty solid performance. I was already a little reluctant going in to begin with given the premise of it being mostly on a laptop screen, because films like those always seem cheap and only halfway decent most the time. And while this did make interesting use of the concept at times, for the most part it didn't bring a whole lot new to the table. The film also started becoming a bit convoluted and I had to suspend my disbelief with certain things towards the end as well. Overall, interesting enough gimmick, but I personally found the film predictable and with more cliches than I'd like to admit.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
drambuie_Sep 16, 2018
The acting was ok. At times it was quite slow,boring and it lasted much more than it should but the plot twist at the end was really good and I totally never saw it coming, just for that I think it worths a shot.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
Rebecca31Sep 8, 2018
This might just be the one and only film that has taken the premise of using a mock computer for the whole film and actually made it work. Admittedly there's not a whole lot of competition in this genre but compare it to the UnfriendedThis might just be the one and only film that has taken the premise of using a mock computer for the whole film and actually made it work. Admittedly there's not a whole lot of competition in this genre but compare it to the Unfriended franchise and Searching looks like a masterpiece.

David Kim (John Cho) is in a strained relationship with his 16-year-old daughter. She goes missing and with the growing realisation that he doesn't know much about his own daughter and her friends he must break into her laptop to track her last known whereabouts in order to find her. It thankfully didn't take a turn into the ridiculous and use a ghostly computer glitch. Instead it takes an idea grounded in reality, using the real life fear of a parent not knowing their child's whereabouts and follows their struggle in possibly coming to terms with the worst. I liked the idea and it kept the tension, but for me the last act lets it down. Searching had about four different endings and decided to use all four and honestly I wasn't pushed on the last one, so at a certain point I was slightly concerned my eyes were going to roll into the back of my head because I just wasn't buying it anymore. Yet despite the unsatisfying ending Searching is worth checking out if you've nothing else to see. A decent thriller/mystery that you can sit back with your bucket of popcorn and enjoy. Recommended if you've seen everything else in the cinema.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
JLuis_001Sep 8, 2018
Unless I'm missing something monumental, I think people lost their heads for this film very quickly, because beyond the originality of its execution and that evidently narrates a story that couldn't work in any other way without technology,Unless I'm missing something monumental, I think people lost their heads for this film very quickly, because beyond the originality of its execution and that evidently narrates a story that couldn't work in any other way without technology, the truth is that the story itself is nothing new or therefore more interesting.

The truth is that I found it very basic and even the resolution feels quite hasty and anticlimactic. It did nothing for me honestly.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
FilmanwaltDec 17, 2020
The film is presented in a very interesting and innovative way, but it fails to bring more depth to its topics. A little more moving picture language and acting would have done well.

Overall still worth seeing.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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