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Not One Less
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    A beautiful and genuinely spirit-lifting film about poverty and education.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    100
    It's an uplifting movie about the rewards of perseverance and community.
  3. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    100
    Has a slow-burning emotional power.
  4. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    If it touches up against the syrupy at a very few moments, it's nevertheless consistently clear-eyed and convincing.
  5. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: F. X. Feeney
    80
    Zhang's work is always worth watching, but this is the first of his films in which the sorrows are so heart-rending, its many comic moments so laugh-out-loud human.
  6. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Leslie Camhi
    80
    The film's occasional dips into sentimental cuteness and its too-pat ending can't cancel the gap that yawns ever wider between rural and urban society.
  7. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Graham Fuller
    80
    Simple but charming.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    Has a warmth and sweetness that is especially hard to resist.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O.Scott
    80
    A splendid, assured piece of storytelling.
  10. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    78
    In many ways, Not One Less resembles the socialist-realist dramas of the early Communist regimes.
  11. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    His story is simple, unadorned, direct. Only the margins are complicated.
  12. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Phoebe Flowers
    75
    Zhang, who tried to make his actors as unaware of the camera as possible, lets the story evolve slowly and deliberately.
  13. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    75
    A sweet, lushly photographed but occasionally slow film.
  14. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Stack
    75
    It's an excellent movie for kids, because it is about how amazing children can be.
  15. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    75
    Like a Sally Field movie by Vittorio De Sica: Zhang wants to affect you with the subtle sting of his politics.
  16. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    75
    In style and story line, the film is daring in its simplicity.
  17. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Paula Nechak
    75
    An empowering film for children, showing them at their most capable, working through problems and finding innovative solutions to overcome what seems like an insurmountable obstacle.
  18. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    This is much more than a typically one-dimensional message-movie -- it's obviously the work of a master filmmaker .
  19. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    60
    At first, the picture is moving. . And suddenly charm turns to quasi-commie didacticism.
  20. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    50
    Use of a loosely written screenplay and a nonprofessional cast in this picture weakens its dramatic appeal even as it lends authenticity and local color.
  21. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    50
    To Western eyes, this meandering parable registers as a perplexity and a disappointment.
  22. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    40
    Its resolution reeks of phoniness and self-congratulation, even if some of the narrative strands leading up to it are fairly absorbing.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. TYL
    10
    Innocent, charming, real and moving. I've traveled the east and this movie reminds me of some of the harsh realities of rural areas and the small yet significant miracles of humanity.… Full Review »
  2. R.C,
    8
    After living in China for 1 1/2 years I related to the interesting dynamics of the people in the movie. It was not unlike real life experienced by those that live in the country. Very Chinese.… Full Review »
  3. PenelopeV.
    10
    Simple story but with a great message. A teacher has to look beyond the eyes of her students, love and understand her students. Her job goes beyond teaching. Her jobs means reaching out to her learners with her mind and heart. I love the movie!… Full Review »
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