The Donut King

"The Donut King" is a film which explains how and why nearly all the donut stores on much of the US West Coast are owned by very hardworking Cambodian-Americans. It follows 'Uncle Ted' Ngoy from his fleeing Cambodia with his family to destitution to riches to, ultimately, poverty once again. Much of it is quite inspiring...though the second half of the film is a bit less enjoyable because this rags to riches story, at least for Ngoy, was shortlived.

As I mentioned above, this fascinating and inspiring documentary is like two films in one. The first is the inspiring part...how a man with nothing, through hard work and an entreprenurial spirit was able to sponsor other Cambodians and help them own their own donut shops. But the second, which seems to come out of the blue, is that Ngoy developed a gambling addiction and threw it all away. Fortunately, at this point the film discusses the other Cambodian success stories. I really wish the film had either focused only on the donut shops OR the gambling addiction, because the gambling portion seemed to come and go too quickly. Plus, while most of the film focused on Ngoy, it told VERY little about Ngoy post bankruptcy...leaving MANY questions. Still despite this, it IS worth seeing and is a good film.

Who doesn't love donuts? I had great things about this and most docs are hit and miss. If you like donuts and immigrant stories, this is a must watch. Do yourself a favor and grab some donuts for when you watch this.

As this well-paced and engaging makes clear, there are a great variety of donuts. That said the quintessential donut is an item defined by its absence, and that emptiness is precisely located at the center of it.

You can glaze it, cover it with sprinkles but still the hole remains.

Perhaps a touch too philosophical for this film?, Then again consider the Donut King, and how heavy his doughy crown weighs upon him after watching this.

As I get older it sure is hard to separate the sweet and the sour. This film packs in a lot of heartache within an overall optimistic outlook, no small feat considering the impetus for the Cambodian donut diaspora. 4 million out of 7 million.

The scenes (animated but nonetheless harrowing) of the separation of families paired with the graceful grit of Chuong Pek Lee were part of this assorted box of tales, including several forays into freakonomic flavors (the corporate interviews were so wonderfully out of place with the Mom and Pop shop shots). Pink box supply chain moves, instagram flash mobs, Midas touches, one-armed bandits, child labor, a blood-oath bond broken and more.

Savor the flavor, but respect the holes in history and your own soul as well.

Ted Ngoy is the Donut King. This documentary tells his story and the story of Cambodian refugees opening independent donut shops throughout southern California.

This is standard biopic of a successful refugee for the first thirty minutes. He comes from nothing and becomes a big success. It's a good solid immigrant story and a fun insight into 80's Cali. I did not see the turn coming. It's a very human story and that is the movie's greatest strength. The man has both good and bad. It's a struggle that is in all of us.

If you think this is about donuts, it is only half a story. Actually, it is more about life. Throughout all the ups and downs, there is peace in the end.

Most Asian people do not feel comfortable to wash their dirty laundry in front of others. This one indeed did that and even dug deeper. There are not many movies about Asian Americans' struggle and trimphone, This one has a well planted storyline and contents. To the end, I did not feel sorry for the donut king. He found peace in life and moved on. Life is the process itself. Most of time, we are too eager to get to the final and forget to enjoy the scenery on the way.

It is a nice film to watch without pretenses. I would recommend.