The Search for General Tso
IFC Films | Release Date: January 2, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 5, 2015
It’s noted that General Tso himself was a guardian of Chinese tradition and would himself shudder at what the dish named for him has become. On the other hand, what does “authenticity” even mean when it comes to cuisine that has assimilated into another culture along with the people who make it? The best food — the kind we want again and again — always tastes like home. Wherever that is. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeDec 8, 2014
In tracing the origins of this restaurant staple, Ian Cheney's The Search for General Tso is as much an immigration history as a culinary one, observing how a people who were demonized as low-wage laborers found entrepreneurial success in small and large towns across the country. Read full review
80
VarietyScott FoundasDec 8, 2014
Eventually, the quixotic “search” of the movie’s title seems secondary to that more arduous quest of so many Chinese-Americans to find their place in a country that did not always welcome them with open arms, and how food forged the path of least resistance. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 15, 2015
A fascinating, funny and informative documentary. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartJan 3, 2015
You may well emerge from The Search for General Tso with a hankering for the titular spicy dish. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJan 1, 2015
Like any well-researched piece worth its weight in MSG, the documentary uses food as an angle to something else: a look at immigration and at a melting pot stirred by prejudice and persecution, later seasoned with adaptation, innovation and acceptance. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineKenji FujishimaDec 29, 2014
Director Ian Cheney doesn't delve too deeply into the possibly unsettling questions the documentary raises about society at large. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldJan 1, 2015
Mr. Cheney’s movie, while teasing at times, does its celebrating and debunking in mild-mannered fashion, making points without seeming to try to score them. Read full review
60
Village VoiceChris PackhamDec 30, 2014
Most of The Search for General Tso is a breezy survey of the history of Chinese-American cuisine. Read full review
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