StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

gannett A simple film with a linear narrative which reminds us of the complexity of modern life. Looking into this tale from the urban world reminds us that life is so very different elsewhere.Set in China but the themes could be matched to many places in the developing world. Rural v Urban, Poverty v Prosperity, the contrast is stark. It's a scary place looking for a lost boy in a strange city when you could so easily become lost yourself. The teacher struggles through grasping at one straw after another finally by determination and a bit of luck over achieves her goal.The happy outcome has a moralising whiff, good values will win in the end, unfortunately this tends not to happen so often in the real world.

poe426 There are movies whose stories are so compelling that one can't help but wax enthusiastic: RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES, TOGETHER, WHY HAS BODHI-DHARMA LEFT FOR THE EAST?, THE WAY HOME, RAISE THE RED LANTERN, THE ROAD HOME, MADADAYO, I LIVE IN FEAR, FOR THE CHILDREN, BAREFOOT GEN (both), GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, FROZEN, JU-DOU, IN THIS WORLD... The list sometimes seems endless (although it unfortunately isn't). NOT ONE LESS will wring you dry. The tearful ending is at once heartbreaking and uplifting. Like the very best of the very best movies, this one works like a magic spell from beginning to end. I can't recommend it highly enough.

thomasbecker108 I was moved not only by the cultural value and socio-economic perspective of the movie, but also by the themes of compassion, hope, and diligence. As a middle school teacher, I also like how it brings out the idea that meaningful learning (in the classroom and beyond) takes place through real-life commitments, situations and applications.As a note aside, notice the credits; although this movie is based on a Chinese novel, the director selected actors and actresses from the real world to play their real-life parts—complete with their real names and titles. Thus teacher Gao really is teacher Gao! Mayor Tien really is mayor Tien, and the kids, together with Minzhi Wei, really are village children, who have no acting experience. Thus the movie really is "realistic" in a true and meaningful way. Don't miss this one!

Meganeguard Director: Zhang Yimou Duration: 108 minutes I have been a fan of Zhang Yimou since 1999 when I watched his amazing film _Raise the Red Lantern_ for the first time in my East Asian Novel class. I have since had the pleasure of watching _The Road Home_, _Happy Times_, and _The Story of Qiu Ju_. Similar to Hou Jianqi's _Postmen in the Mountain_ and a number of the films mentioned above, _Not One Less_ depicts the natural beauty of rural China next to the abject poverty in which quite a number of farmer families live. The film begins simply enough with the mayor tugging along the pretty, slim Wei Minzhi who has been hired by the village to teach in the place of an older teacher who must leave town in order to look after his sick mother. Minzhi does not bring much to the table, however, because she is only able to sing one song in praise of Mao and her teaching ability seems to be limited to copying information on the board and then ordering her students to copy what she has written. Also, did I mention the fact that Minzhi is thirteen years old? Minzhi was hired because she was the only one willing to work in the little bumpkin village. Of course because of her age she is not only taken advantage of by her students, but the mayor as well who tries to swindle his way out of paying the young woman fifty yuan, around maybe twenty dollars for a month's work. However, when Minzhi is offered an extra ten yuan by the old teacher if she is able to keep all of her students during the month, Minzhi becomes determined to keep all of her students in place. However, one soon joins a school specializing in sports and another leaves for the city to support his sick mother.Like Yang Zhang's film _Quitting_, all of the actors, all non-professional, play themselves. Filming is still highly censored in China, so Zhang Yimou had to veneer the true messages of the film. So under that happy ending and bubbly children, this is a serious social critique which needs to be seen to be appreciated.