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  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • IFC Films
  • 1 h 11 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • IFC Films
  • 1 h 11 m

Summary This mouthwateringly entertaining film travels the globe to unravel a captivating culinary mystery. General Tso's chicken is a staple of Chinese-American cooking, and a ubiquitous presence on restaurant menus across the country. But just who was General Tso? And how did his chicken become emblematic of an entire national cuisine? Directo...

Written By: Ian Cheney

  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • IFC Films
  • 1 h 11 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • IFC Films
  • 1 h 11 m

The Search for General Tso

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
72
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary This mouthwateringly entertaining film travels the globe to unravel a captivating culinary mystery. General Tso's chicken is a staple of Chinese-American cooking, and a ubiquitous presence on restaurant menus across the country. But just who was General Tso? And how did his chicken become emblematic of an entire national cuisine? Directo...

Written By: Ian Cheney

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
72
78% Positive
7 Reviews
22% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
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Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
72
78% Positive
7 Reviews
22% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
Mar 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.
By Ty Burr FULL REVIEW
80
Dec 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.
By John DeFore FULL REVIEW
75
Jan 15, 2015
A fascinating, funny and informative documentary.
By Michael O'Sullivan FULL REVIEW
75
Jan 3, 2015
You may well emerge from The Search for General Tso with a hankering for the titular spicy dish.
By Sara Stewart FULL REVIEW
70
Jan 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.
By Michael Rechtshaffen FULL REVIEW
60
Jan 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.
By Nicolas Rapold FULL REVIEW
60
Dec 30, 2014
Most of The Search for General Tso is a breezy survey of the history of Chinese-American cuisine.
By Chris Packham FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company Sundance Selects, Wicked Delicate Films
Release Date Jan 2, 2015
Duration 1 h 11 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Website http://www.thesearchforgeneraltso.com/
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