The Donut King

Beautifully crafted, emotionally engaging, and filled in some of the blanks with my Cambodia in the 70s history. An Excellent Insight into an overlooked community. Powerful film that is certainly worth the 1.5 hour investment.

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.

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.

"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.

This documentary was a strong study of U S. immigration story via a biography of Ted Ngoy, inventor of the "pink" bakery boxes and his wife Christy. This documentary has very strong visual material on refugees stories from Cambodia to California.

Especially news clips of the first Ladies (Ford/Carter adminstrations) and the economic plight of one Cambodian family exceedingly achieving an American dream. Similar to so many stories of non-White US families.

Where one family serves as a host for another entering refugee families. Who later usually repay their hosts with endless hours of labor, but in the end learn new job skills, that they go off to do their own enterprises... the American dream.

In this case, it's the American pastry invention of the donuts if the pot of gold. Within a micro economic perspective, the film turns into a study of Southern Californian donut industry. It clearly shows on how the Ngoy family was a very influential force.

Then the film's how what usually happen with some immigrant families's mismanagement of funds. In this case, addictions play a role. But it also how much Ngoy supported Cambodian refugees and also it cultural community with his own funds.

Then there always a continuation of contradictions, where as Ngoy's presence as a financial backer to conservative Californian politics, like Pete Wilson.

Wilson was notorious advocate of anti immigration, with the 187 proposition. What would the "donut King" be supportive of then types of politicians, go figure.