Mean Creek (2004)

When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek vengeance.

Director:

Jacob Aaron Estes

Writer:

Jacob Aaron Estes

Stars:

Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rory Culkin	...	Sam Merrick
Ryan Kelley	...	Clyde
Scott Mechlowicz	...	Marty Blank
Trevor Morgan	...	Rocky Merrick
Josh Peck	...	George Tooney
Carly Schroeder	...	Millie
Branden Williams	...	Kile
Raissa Fleming	...	Maggie Tooney
Heath Lourwood	...	Jasper
Ryan Peterson	...	Cashier
Michael Fisher-Welsh	...	Mr. Levinworth
J.W. Crawford	...	Tom (as James W. Crawford)
Shelly Lipkin	...	Mr. Merrick
Kaz Garas	...	Detective Wright
Hagai Shaham	...	Handsome Police Officer

Storyline

When Sam Merrick is beaten up by local bully George Tooney, Sam's older brother Rocky and his friends Clyde and Marty plan to pretend it's Sam's birthday to "invite" George on a boat trip in which they would dare him to strip naked, jump in the lake, and run home naked. But when Sam, his girlfriend Millie, Rocky, and Clyde see George as not much of a bad guy, they want to call off the plan, but Marty refuses. Will the plan go ahead as planned?

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Plot Keywords:

bully | friend | boat | river | oregon | 

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Taglines:

Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual references, teen drug and alcohol use

Details

Official Sites:

Whitewater Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

A harag sodrása

Filming Locations:

Clackamas River, Clackamas, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$29,170 (USA) (20 August 2004)

Gross:

$603,943 (USA) (10 December 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Whitewater Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The names that Martini (Marty) says during shooting practice are all names of various cast and crew members: Mr. (Hagai) Shaham (producer, actor - Handsome Police Officer); Mr. (Jacob Aaron) Estes (director, screenwriter); Ms (Susan and Joan) Johnson (producer and production coordinator); Mr. (Rick) Rosenthal (producer).

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Goofs

When Millie is shown writing in her diary, she switches from being right-handed (from 14:14 to 14:35) to left-handed (from 14:36 to 14:44). The left-hand scene is Millie in the MIRROR! Her gold bracelet is on her right wrist, the hand she writes with. In the mirror, it appears to be her left. Also, the table where she grabbed the pen with her toes was on HER right side. But in the mirror it looks like it was HER left side.

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Quotes

[first lines]
George: Hey! What do you think you're doing? You're a punk, Sam!

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Crazy Credits

Hagai Shaham is credited as being the "handsome" police officer (he is also a producer of the movie)

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Connections

References Stand by Me (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Pot Kettle Black"
Written by Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett
Performed by Wilco
Produced under license from Nonesuch Records
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing
© 2002 Nonesuch Records

User Reviews

Disturbing yet beautiful portrait of adolescence

To start off this review I must say, that when I first discovered the corny box cover I thought it had to be a comedy. When I read the back I figured it must be one of those dark comedy films. And with a cast like that, how could it not be??? I have never been so wrong in my whole life.

I have seen many movies before, and none have held such great performances as this, and hardly any have spoken to the audience in such a powerful way. This film is quite disturbing, mainly because of its brutal honesty. The characters are deeply flawed yet still ring true to real life. Out of the main characters, you can at least relate to one, if not all.

The actors....wow. I can't believe that Josh Peck gave such an amazing performance as George, the bully or basically any of the cast members. I would have NEVER known that he was the boy from The Amanda Show. In fact the only actor I expected to pull this off was Rory Culkin. The performances were so natural, so beautiful I almost forgot I was watching a film.

Sure, many people hated this movie. That's their choice and no matter which film you see, there's bound to be haters. Yet, I think that the people who hated it just haven't looked deep enough into it, into the dark underlying.

Mean Creek is a very unique and individual film. You can't even really put it into a category. The atmosphere, emotion and message this film brings across to the audience is so real and gives you the final slap across the face at the end of the film. It really hits you. I think that some people who hated this movie are just scared of it. I think they're scared of just how much reality there is in it and the heartbreaking proof behind it.

The dialogue is also pretty damn real. Jacob Aaron Estes really captures the essence of what its like to be a male adolescent...the dialogue feels like its coming straight from the heart.

This movie portrays the state of mind of a teenager beautifully. Definitely 10/10.