Mean Creek (2004)

Director:

Jacob Aaron Estes

Writer (WGA):

Jacob Aaron Estes (written by)

Release Date:

29 September 2004 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Bully | Friend | River | Boat | Prank

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

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:12

Filming Locations:

Clackamas River, Clackamas, Oregon, USA

Company:

Whitewater Films

Trivia:

When Rory Culkin tries to coax Trevor Morgan to call off the prank, we eventually see 'Josh Peck''s character interrupt him and then scratch his head. Scratching his head was Scott Mechlowicz's cue to say his line.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Millie refuses to cut her index finger and passes the knife to Marty, in the background you can see yellow tape tied to a tree. At the end of the film police have cordoned off an area with yellow tape where the body is buried.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Deliverance (1972)

Soundtrack:

The Sound of Settling

Simple, Real, Powerful and Impressive

In Oregon, when the bully George Tooney (Josh Peck) beats his schoolmate Sam Merric (Rory Culkin), his older brother Rocky (Trevor Morhan) schemes a prank with his two also teenager friends Clyde (Ryan Kelley) and Marty (Scott Mechlowicz) seeking revenge. They invite George, Sam and his girlfriend Millie (Carly Schroeder) to a boat trip along the river, with the intention of humiliating George and get even. However, Millie convinces Sam to call off the plan and the boys accept in spite of the reluctant Marty. When they decide to play "truth or dare" in the middle of the river, the truth about the prank is disclosed to George and he offends the boys mostly the traumatized Marty, leading the group to an accident with tragic consequences.

"Mean Creek" is a simple, real, powerful and impressive story. The first point that calls the attention is the performances of this young generation of promising and talented actors and actress. I hope they have the same luck of Coppola's boys of "Rumble Fish" and "The Outsiders". The story teaches in a hard way that for each action that we take there are consequences. Further, this is the first honest film that exposes the problematic relationship of an adolescent with gay parents with his friends. "Mean Creek" is certainly one of the best coming-to-age movies that I have ever seen and therefore highly recommended inclusive for teenagers. The Brazilian title is simply awful. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Pacto Maldito" ("Damned Pact")