Absolutely Brilliant!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

As a huge Ricky Gervais fan, this was the one series, I was unsure could make a great comedy, given the subject matter. Somehow though, Gervais & co, manage to pull off some good laughter, among some really poignant moments

Another gem from Ricky GervaisIn many ways it is quite hard hitting and at first you can be excused that Gervais's portrayal of Derek Noakes required him to "dumb down" the characterWith lots of highs and lows and occasions where you seem to have a bit of dust in your eye you realise that the smartest one of them all is Derek.Loved it

Derek is a sweet, hero-hearted near-comedy that breaks new ground in the mockumentary/sit-com format and that reveals Ricky Gervais as a dramatic actor of raging powers and infinite nuances.Seriously, Gervais is that extraordinary in this Netflix-produced 'streambox' series of only 14 episodes. Would Tom Hanks' performance as Forrest in Forrest Gump have been interesting if all the amazing Time magazine events hadn't befallen his character during the film? The most powerful testimony to how good Gervais is here as a modern day simpleton/mooncalf type is that his character is more watchable, more compelling than Hanks as Forrest was, and nothing exciting happens in terms of MacGuffin or set-up. Hopefully wide distribution of Derek will stop the 'muppet bad guy' script offers clogging Gervais' post box and start delivering him the serious dramatic and dramedy roles which Robin Williams, Bill Murray, and Steve Carrell earned. Because if Derek is any guide, Gervais could outpower and enquietude all of them.

This series is such a refreshing sitcom. Absolutely hilarious, but in an understated way; I caught myself making more than one involuntary snort of laughter in the first episode alone. If you give it a chance, Derek will both make you smile and shed a tear (or many tears if you're me). Another stroke of genius by Ricky Gervais, it mixes humour with poignant moments in the same way as Extras and The Office do. And I can't not mention Karl Pilkington. The character he plays is very similar to what Karl is like in real life (judging by An Idiot Abroad and The Moaning of Life) and, my god, is he what puts the cherry on the icing on the cake.