Searching

Play trailer

1:00

Searching

PG-13

2018

1h 42m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

260 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

David Kim becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter Margot disappears and an immediate police investigation leads nowhere. He soon decides to search the one place that no one else has -- Margot's laptop. Hoping to trace her digital footprints, David contacts her friends and looks at photos and videos for any possible clues to her whereabouts.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Searching's timely premise and original execution are further bolstered by well-rounded characters brought to life by a talented cast.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

09/14/2022

A mystery that’s far meatier than its virtual framing would suggest.

Go to Full Review

Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

03/20/2020

Shot mostly with iPhones and GoPro cameras, the movie is visually drab and a little too gimmicky - ultimately it's a stunt, albeit an engrossing one.

Go to Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

09/21/2018

3.5/5

Searching follows Eighth Grade as another thought-provoking film about the intersection between teens' lives and their presence-and reliance-on social media.

Go to Full Review

Ankit Ojha

Cinema Elite

07/09/2024

4.5/5

Going against the Heightened Realism 101 rulebook in films of this kind, Chaganty underlines his storytelling with a terrific score and appropriate rhythm-heavy editing.

Go to Full Review

Kate Boyle

InSession Film

07/08/2024

The writing is amazing, the use of technology is great, and it doesn't feel cheesy as it has in past films.

Go to Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

07/24/2023

A

A tremendously unique style of filmmaking elevates an almost seamlessly written mystery, containing constant twists and puzzling clues that leave the audience captivated throughout the entire runtime.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

And 5.

@Kitty55 4d

This was a very original story, very relatable to our world of computers and tech today. Surprising twists and turns that kept the suspense flowing, with very good actors..

See more

Ranman C

@Ranman3554 4d

Other than the usual, overused trope of the panicked father going too far and getting violent on a couple of occasions I'm hard pressed to find fault. And the final twist to it all blew my mind. Hands-down, this is my new favorite John Cho film.

See more

William L.

@LiveFromNYC Mar 10

Fantastic viewing of family values and love

See more

Alain E

@AlainE Feb 19

The first 19 minutes is mostly the father typing emails and texts searching for his missing daughter. As exciting as hell. And I always enjoy the realistic 555 phone numbers. Sayonara!

See more

Kmss G.

@pianississimo Feb 11

It's a complete nightmare for Asian parents in San Jose. I was scared.

See more

Landon B.

@LandonThe3rd Dec 13

There wasn’t a second in the movie where I wasn’t fully engaged, and every scene had me guessing what was gonna happen next. The ending is perfect too.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Aneesh Chaganty

Director

John Cho

David Kim

Debra Messing

Detective Vick

Joseph Lee

Peter

Michelle La

Margot

Sara Sohn

Pamela Nam Kim

Searching: Official Clip - What Did You Do to My Daughter?

3:57

Searching: Official Clip - Crazy Dad Theater Attack

3:31

Searching: Official Clip - Mommy's Gonna Make It Better

1:52

Searching: Official Clip - Detective Rosemary Vick

2:28

Searching: Official Clip - Stock Photo Killer

2:55

Searching: Official Clip - Finding the Killer

4:16

Searching: Official Clip - fish_n_chips

3:46

Searching: Official Clip - You Told Me She Ran Away

2:27

Searching: Official Clip - You Don't Always Know Your Kid

2:06

Searching: Official Clip - When We Were a Family

1:43

View more videos

Missing

89%

89%

Missing

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Missing

The Perfect Guy

19%

51%

The Perfect Guy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Perfect Guy

Shut In

5%

23%

Shut In

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Shut In

10 Cloverfield Lane

91%

79%

10 Cloverfield Lane

Watchlist

TRAILER

for 10 Cloverfield Lane

Ride

31%

38%

Ride

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Ride

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Best-Reviewed Movies by Genre 2018

Weekend Box Office Results: The House With a Clock in Its Walls Strikes No. 1 With $26.8 Million

Weekend Box Office Results: The Predator Has Spine With $24 Million Weekend

Searching: Trailer 1

1:00

Searching: International Trailer 1

2:28

Searching: Trailer 1

2:23

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

David Kim becomes desperate when his 16-year-old daughter Margot disappears and an immediate police investigation leads nowhere. He soon decides to search the one place that no one else has -- Margot's laptop. Hoping to trace her digital footprints, David contacts her friends and looks at photos and videos for any possible clues to her whereabouts.

Director: Aneesh Chaganty
Producer: Sev Ohanian, Timur Bekmambetov, Adam Sidman, Natalie Qasabian
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Screen Gems, Stage 6
Production Co: Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, Bazelevs Production
Rating: PG-13 (Some Drug References|Language|Some Sexual References|Thematic Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 31, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 13, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.0M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now