- James TangJanuary 16, 2025Found footage movies just got an upgrade. Searching does an excellent job of putting the viewer in the POV of a desperate father looking for his missing daughter through the lens of a Macbook. This is shockingly, one of the most realistic portrayals of computer investigation I've seen in a movie and is extremely trim for a thriller with as many twists and turns as it has. Go in as blind as possible and enjoy the ride.
- Vitia21July 6, 2025I don't understand why this film has such high critical and audience reviews. The device of viewing everything through a computer screen is contrived and completely banal; far from contributing anything to the narrative or the story's development, it becomes a poor attempt to differentiate itself in an overused genre in which it wouldn't stand out either, with an absurdly predictable plot and performances worthy of a B-movie on TV. Poor, very poor.
- Kevin WardJuly 3, 2025The family really enjoyed Missing when we watched it recently, so I figured why not watch this one with them as well. Just like Missing, it’s very cleverly written, with effective twists and turns. I sort of feel like this one leans more into the nostalgia of some of the older tech (Windows 95, et al). As such, those moments didn’t have as much of an impact on my kids. Missing definitely feels like it’s vastly improved this format and I’m looking forward to more, but Searching is still an entertaining mystery, even on rewatch.
- John ChapelJanuary 21, 2025This is a fun movie. So, the hook here is that the whole story is told, technically, from YOUR perspective. It's as if you've hacked these devices and you're piecing the mystery together with him. So fun. Second, the plot is solid and you care about the characters. I mean, I really don't know what else you can ask for from a popcorn whodunit. If you like this, try the 2nd sequel to it called "Missing". Its shot the same way.
- gmrxboxOctober 21, 2024This movie was a really fun surprise. Stars John Cho as a dad whose daughter gets abducted/goes missing, and he's working with police to try and find her. The hook is that it all takes place from the perspective of computer screens and phone screens. And against all odds, that really doesn't wear out its welcome. It's a fun, twisty little mystery that had me guessing up til pretty close to the end. Also, there's a lot of nostalgia in the way some websites appear on screen, and how some computer desktops look. Definitely check it out.
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Searching was released on August 8, 2018.
Searching was directed by Aneesh Chaganty.
Searching has a runtime of 1h 42m.
Searching was produced by Adam Sidman, Sev Ohanian, Timur Bekmambetov, Natalie Qasabian.
After David Kim's 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop.
The key characters in Searching are David Kim (John Cho), Margot (Michelle La), Detective Vick (Debra Messing).
Searching is rated PG-13.
Searching is a Drama, Thriller, Mystery film.
Searching has an audience rating of 8.8 out of 10.
Searching had a budget of $880K.
Searching has made $75.6M at the box office.