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.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 17, 2019

Not only has Cheney made something that tantalizes the tastebuds, but it's good for you too.

| Nov 20, 2018

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.

| Aug 24, 2017

You sort of expect The Search for General Tso to be quixotic, but Cheney answers all his questions, establishing a definitive history of the crispy chicken menu item.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 30, 2016

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.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 5, 2015

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 20, 2015

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.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 15, 2015

The Search For General Tso reveals everything you need to know about the Americanized dish, tempting your tastebuds while sneakily teaching a history lesson or two along the way.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 4, 2015

Cheney's documentary perfectly pairs mouth-watering food imagery with the fascinating history of a little-considered cultural phenomenon.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 2, 2015

Surprisingly insightful, suspenseful and amusing. You'll never look at General Tso's Chicken the same way again.

| Original Score: 8.21/10 | Jan 2, 2015

A culinary and cultural odyssey that ultimately has much more on its plate than that spicy-sweet-crispy chicken.

| 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.

| Jan 1, 2015

You may well emerge from "The Search for General Tso" with a hankering for the titular spicy dish.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 31, 2014

Smart, informative investigation ... also affords a fascinating look at the history of Chinese-Americans and their successful assimilation into our society.

| Dec 31, 2014

The cinematic equivalent of an entertaining encyclopedic entry about the most irresistible offering on today's Chinese takeout menu!

| Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 31, 2014

A breezy survey of the history of Chinese-American cuisine.

| Dec 30, 2014

This is an unlikely subject for a movie but a strangely beautiful one, hitting poignant notes on a cross-country journey to restaurants in big cities and small towns, all in a bid to understand where this dish came from and what it represents.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 30, 2014

Director Ian Cheney doesn't delve too deeply into the possibly unsettling questions the documentary raises about society at large.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 29, 2014

A kind of culinary Searching for Sugar Man.

| Dec 29, 2014

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.

| Dec 29, 2014