Rating: 
Summary: So much from so little
Review: I have yet to see all of Zhang Yimou's films, but I am beginning to suspect he must be considered among the greatest of all film directors -- ever.
I am sympathetic to the tremendous challenge of making a living by having to continuously churn out creative material, but how some of this man's films compare with other modern fare is absolutely stunning. How this man makes such evocotive films with so little resources can only be fully appreciated when one considers so many other films made with infinite resources that are utterly bereft. If this is not proof of genius in his field, I don't know what might be.
When I first starting watching Zhang's films I became charmed by the lack of predictability. I found myself thinking: Now if this were an American film, this would happen. But something different usually happens -- something so true to life that you become involved with the characters of the story on a deep and satisfying level. I hope he can resist the temptation to immitate his Western peers -- it is they who should immitate him.
This very simply told tale has a large message that I think Zhang wants to tell about his homeland.
In Maoist times, the Chinese people were strongly persuaded that the ideal countryman was a souless, thoughtless, slogan-chanting, agrarian worker who bred the next generation of obeying automatons. The characters of this story are those whose lot in life is to endure the system that regime had wrought, and when our 13 year old heroine journeys to the city, her goal is to retrieve the missing boy for her own narrow purposes.
However, when she is interviewed on television, her humanity, in spite of herself, comes forth. Furthermore, the spontaneity of her emotions touches the local viewers in a way that shows China is a land where the oppressors failed to extract the souls from their subjects.
If you have kindness and caring in your soul (of course you do) you will connect with this movie. If you are also new to Chinese film, you will begin to question what you thought made a worthwhile film.
Rating: 
Summary: As real as it gets
Review: I lived in China for three years. This film is as real as it gets. The Chinese people that I met find this movie fascinating. It is a very good look into their complex culture. Make no mistake, this is a culture that is very foreign to Western culture. For this reason not everyone will "get" this film.
Rating:
Summary: INSIGHTFUL
Review: I love films about plucky children who overcome adversity. So this was a great film for me. My children also enjoyed this film. It seems that children like to see other children speaking in natural settings. "Not one less" unfolds in a gentle way at first with the arrival of the substitute teacher. Who is not much older than her giggling charges. But this film is not `about her teaching ability. It is about poverty and the competition between getting a basic education and parental demands of getting an additional income for the family. The contrast between rural life and the city is convincingly shown through the young teacher's eyes. The film is very moving and subtle in its power but its still there. This film will resonate as authentic to anyone who has had to fight to overcome numerous obstacles in life to acquire a education.
Rating:
Summary: Best movie on Earth
Review: I love this movie so much. The actress and every supporting actor on this film isn't superstar, that make this film so common film. You can find the story on this film everywhere on earth. This is the film that Hollywood can''t do it. But If every Filmmaker on this earth make the film like NOT ONE LESS. I think this world is lovely earth.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: I loved this movie because they used non-actors and the cast are just so natural and real. When you watch this film, devoid of the slick Hollywood movie magic that we've all gotten so used to, you can't help but be moved by the storyline.
Also, because there's really no 'acting' in this movie, it is really funny to watch these people so obviously working to tell this story with little to no acting skills whatsoever. What results is a comical, touching and magical film about a young woman in an impossible situation and her quest to find her young charge in the big city.
It ends like a fairy tale. I just loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Film from Zhang Yimou
Review: I really think that Zhang Yimou is the best director alive today. While in a sense he has dropped off from his ultra classic early dramatic collaborations with Gong Li (Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, Qiu Jou, To Live, Shanghai Triad), I still find the humble films of this middle stage of his career to be heartwarming and engrossing in a most subtle way. Happy Times, The Road Home, and Not One Less are all simple films that manage to express and evoke a surprising depth of sympathy and emotion, much like Frank Capra was able to do during the classic era of American cinema with films like It's a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. And the fact that Not One Less was done with non-actors is a triumph not only for their success but also for the innovative courage that Zhang continues to display. Many consider films like this to be evidence of Zhang's fall from grace. On the contrary, I think they show why he is so great. How could he improve upon Raise the Red Lantern, the veritable Casablanca of Chinese cinema? Rather than continuing with similar films, he made the bold move to forge other paths. The next phase of his career will apparently be wuxia films. I have a feeling it is there where his name will come back into the popular radar abroad. Not that he should be concerned, as he's done very well without it, as the future will surely show...
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Film from Zhang Yimou
Review: I really think that Zhang Yimou is the best director alive today. While in a sense he has dropped off from his ultra classic early dramatic collaborations with Gong Li (Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, Qiu Jou, To Live, Shanghai Triad), I still find the humble films of this middle stage of his career to be heartwarming and engrossing in a most subtle way. Happy Times, The Road Home, and Not One Less are all simple films that manage to express and evoke a surprising depth of sympathy and emotion, much like Frank Capra was able to do during the classic era of American cinema with films like It's a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. And the fact that Not One Less was done with non-actors is a triumph not only for their success but also for the innovative courage that Zhang continues to display. Many consider films like this to be evidence of Zhang's fall from grace. On the contrary, I think they show why he is so great. How could he improve upon Raise the Red Lantern, the veritable Casablanca of Chinese cinema? Rather than continuing with similar films, he made the bold move to forge other paths. The next phase of his career will apparently be wuxia films. I have a feeling it is there where his name will come back into the popular radar abroad. Not that he should be concerned, as he's done very well without it, as the future will surely show...
Rating:
Summary: entertaining and realistic
Review: I visited a village school in Sichuan, China. The film's depiction is absolutely realistic. The environment and the characters are incredibly authentic. Above all, the film is very entertaining and inspirational. It shows the power of every day people
Rating:
Summary: Your heart will sing & cry - again!
Review: I'm originally a Chinese-decent, so maybe that's why Not One Less had made such a significant impact on me. The film is high-spirited; the characters/actors are commonly uncommon, and beautifully rendered - they will move you! See the film, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: tearjerker
Review: I've seen quite a few of Zhang Yimou's movies and this one is really different. For one thing, it doesn't star Gong Li, and for another, it is not bursting from the seams with opium, sex, prostitution, concubines, decadence, and everything deemed immoral by Western culture. There is no sad ending, it is not a period piece, and most importantly, the woman is not portrayed as a poor, helpless victim, but a strong-willed heroine. I saw this movie on a twelve-hour flight from Shanghai to San Francisco and it took all of my strength not to cry in front of everyone on the plane.
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