i must have seen a different film!!

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

"Life with Derek" is a very well-written show about a girl named Casey McDonald (Ashley Leggat) who's mom gets remarried to a guy who has three other children. This show deals with how Casey copes with her new surroundings - and her new step-brother, Derek Venturi(Michael Seater). Derek and Casey are complete opposites, which causes a lot of tension between themselves and the rest of the family. Casey is an organized, neat-freak while Derek is a slacker who loves hitting on girls. There's a lot of bickering and bantering between them, but in some episodes, they actually do show that they care about each other. Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat have great chemistry, and their the ones that make the show the way it is.The only things I don't like are the sound effects, the extremely corny theme song, and well..honestly, some of their jokes are very cheesy. But overall it's a good show. I try to watch it every time I can, but Disney makes it hard by airing it at midnight.

I won't be too hard on this show because I enjoyed the first season, but then, things got worse. The concept is nothing special, just about a girl named Casey who is trying to cope with a new step-brother, Derek, and his loud, crude family, while she gradually forces her princess standards onto each of them.In season 1, the story was actually interesting. I liked Casey back then because she was smart, strong, independent, and conservative. She was well-mannered and deep. I felt bad when she was being harassed at her new school by her new step-brother. She was a perfectionist, but not as annoying as the later episodes. Oh, and she dated a nice guy, who is now currently portrayed as one of Derek's idiot friends. The season grasped the true tension the title of the show was trying to capture.Now, I can't say the show has really gone downhill because the story is sometimes interesting, but I root for Derek now instead of Casey. Now, there is little, if any interaction, between the two siblings. If they interact, it's only briefly. Oh, and I don't want any Dasey fans in my face. People, that's called INCEST, even if they are step-siblings. My tolerance can only go so far, but that's not the point.It's strange. Derek, as the antagonist, has gotten more sensitive over time, while Casey, the supposed protagonist, is more neurotic and unlikeable than before. I like how the younger kids get more airtime, but the parents are even more clueless than before. But that's not the biggest problem...Unfortunately, we are forced to see everything from Casey's point of view, with lame, nauseating background music. She has gotten stupider and more shallow over time. In one episode, she got whiny and wanted her boyfriend to be more chivalrous, so she purposely dumped food on herself and blamed Derek. Now, what happened to being a strong, independent feminist? I haven't watched much of the fourth season, but I hear she is dating a guy named Truman, who is a jackass and is arrogant. Oh, I remember that fencing episode. She constantly reminds him she doesn't like him, freaks out over being "goosed" by a sword, and in the end, hooks up with him because she can "handle" him? What the hell? Why go with a guy like that in the first place. The 1st season Casey would have just punched him in his...never mind. Or, maybe that would have been my reaction. Oh, and she's a cheerleader. Not that that's a bad thing, but I think she fell on her head at one of her practices. And in a prom episode, she cried because she couldn't find the "dress in her dreams," and wasn't completely satisfied until she became prom queen. One thing I've noticed is that no matter how bad Casey tries to tell us her life is, thing's almost always go her way in the end (she gets the guy she wants, Derek gets some kind of revenge, people all love her, etc.) Derek is still quite immature, but I see that he really has matured. I don't see why many people hate Sally. She seems nice, and it's good to see Derek in a serious relationship with someone he cares about rather than "playing the field." He is also treating Edwin slightly better, and is a good brother to Marti.Really, the show is so-so, and I rated it low because despite some character development, the character I once admired has now become like any "fashionable teen queen" you can see anywhere on TV. But it was good while it lasted.

Life with Derek is by far the best show on Disney Channel! All of the cast does a wonderful job, especially the roles of Edward and Lizzy, the two "middle children" who are always trying to make their mark. Ashley L. does a great job of playing Casey, the serious older stepsister, and they couldn't of chosen anyone better than Micheal Seat Er to play Derek. The youngest child, Marty, does a great job and will be seen in more movies as she gets older for sure. The actor and actress who play Nora and George are great too. They usually deliver the lesson but get a good joke in here and there.I recommend this show to anyone, no matter WHAT age you will love it!

Life with Derek is an awesome show! I love to watch it. I'm not totally obsessed with it, but if I'm bored and I turn on the TV and see that it's on, I will watch it. But, I don't check on the Disney Channel website to make sure when it is on and then get upset that I don't get to watch it. I mostly like this show because Michael Seater, who plays Derek, is a hot boy, and Ariel Waller, who plays Marti, is cute for a little girl. I wish that Disney Channel showed this show more often, because then I would have more of a chance to watch it. I don't check when it's on, because I'm not obsessed with the show. That's why I like it; it attracts me, but doesn't make me obsessive. I like the different plots it has.