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Mean Creek (2004)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
29 September 2004 (France) moreTagline:
Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.Plot:
When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek vengeance. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
4 wins & 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(28 articles)
Spider-Man 4 Lands a New Writer (From TheMovingPicture. 8 July 2009, 10:14 PM, PDT)
Tobey Maguire Will Star In Indie Film The Details
(From /Film. 8 July 2009, 7:03 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Excellent teen character study moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Rory Culkin | ... | Sam Merric | |
| Ryan Kelley | ... | Clyde | |
| Scott Mechlowicz | ... | Marty | |
| Trevor Morgan | ... | Rocky Merric | |
| Josh Peck | ... | George Tooney | |
| Carly Schroeder | ... | Millie | |
| Branden Williams | ... | Kile Blank | |
| 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language, sexual references, teen drug and alcohol use.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
90 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Sweden:11 | Brazil:16 | Belgium:KT | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut) | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
In the truth or dare scene, when asked about his fantasy, Rocky says he fantasized about a girl named Susan Johnson. One of the producers of the film is called Susan Johnson. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Marty proposes the truth or dare, he throws away his cigarette. But moments later (when George insults Clyde, Sam and Millie) he's holding a cigarette in his hand, yet we never see him light one. moreSoundtrack:
The Sound of Settling moreFAQ
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One of the greatest movies ever made is 'A Place in the Sun'. Based on a true murder case, this story features a protagonist who takes his pregnant ex-girlfriend on a boating trip with the intention of drowning her so he won't have to marry her. At the last moment, he has a pang of conscience (or did he just lose his nerve?) and he confesses his intentions to her ... but then the boat capsizes by accident, and she drowns anyway. The film refuses to let the protagonist off the hook, asserting that -- if he felt relieved by her death -- then he is morally guilty of murdering her.
SPOILERS COMING. 'Mean Creek' raises similar moral questions, in a plot line that evokes not only 'A Place in the Sun', but also 'River's Edge', 'Stand by Me' and 'Deliverance', the latter film even quoted in the dialogue. Four adolescent boys lure teenage George on a boating trip, intending to play a cruel prank on him. A girl comes along too, unaware of their intentions. When she learns what's planned, she persuades the conspirators to call off their plot. But then tragedy intervenes, and George drowns. How culpable are the boys? They literally dig themselves into a deeper hole by burying George's corpse, hoping to conceal the tragedy.
'Mean Creek' features some of the most realistic adolescent dialogue I've ever heard. The boys bait each other with insults that are misogynist and homophobic. (One boy, Clyde, has two gay fathers.) Although the dialogue pulls no punches, the camera set-ups pull several. At one point, a boy urinates into the river: we see the stream of urine but the boy is out of frame. The most aggressive of the boys, Marty, makes several boasts about his genital endowment. Eventually, he is goaded into dropping his shorts and showing his stuff: the camera shoots this scene from behind, so we never find out what the fuss is about.
Director/screenwriter Jacob Aaron Estes shows a great deal of talent, but makes a few strange decisions. At several points, the camera shows us printed words on a sign or a bumper sticker ... but then the camera pulls away, or the object recedes from the camera, before most of the audience can read what's written. The script is nearly as good as the dialogue, with splendid exposition and only a few pacing problems.
MORE SPOILERS. Very early in the film, we learn that Marty owns a handgun. Chekhov's rules of drama stipulate that if a gun shows up in the story, it must eventually be fired. The payoff for this weapon shows up very late in the film, in an unexpected way (and the gun is never fired). In this case, it would have been better if the gun had never been mentioned nor shown until Marty decided to use it. Throughout this film there is a running directorial conceit, with sequences shown from the P.O.V. of George's video camera, but there turns out to be a valid payoff for this.
Every performance in this movie is splendid. I was especially impressed with Rory Culkin (Macaulay's more talented brother), Carly Schroeder as the well-intentioned girl, and Josh Peck as fat unpopular George, who clearly wants to be popular yet can't help being unpleasant. I'll rate 'Mean Creek' 9 out of 10, and I look forward to more films from Jacob Aaron Estes.