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Mean Creek

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Mean Creek (2004)

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90 %
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Reviews Counted: 115

Fresh: 104

Rotten:11

Average Rating: 7.4/10

Consensus: Mean Creek is an uncomfortably riveting glimpse into the casual cruelty of youth.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Director Jacob Estes's feature film debut is a remarkably accomplished coming of age drama about death and consequences. When overweight, emotionally troubled George (Josh Peck) beats up a smaller kid named Sam (Rory Culkin) one time... Director Jacob Estes's feature film debut is a remarkably accomplished coming of age drama about death and consequences. When overweight, emotionally troubled George (Josh Peck) beats up a smaller kid named Sam (Rory Culkin) one time too many, his older brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan) and Rocky's wrong-side-of-the-tracks pal (Scott Mechlowicz) decide to teach George a lesson. Along with their friend Clyde (Ryan Kelley)--who was once the brunt of George's violence himself--they bring George on a boat trip with a cruel prank in mind. Sam brings his love interest, Milly (Carly Schroeder), who tries to stop the plan when she decides George is a nice guy after all. Tragic things happen nonetheless with the slow, languid rhythm of life in a small Oregon town. Along the way, Estes manages to capture many fine moments of poetic realism like the stillness of the forest around the river, the swirling eddies along the shore, a snail crawling along a leaf, and a drowning video camera. Cinematographer Sharone Meir uses color filters and washed-out film stock to make everything glow with faded colors like old family photographs. The dialogue feels natural and the acting is precise; Estes obviously loves his cast and allows plenty of time and space for their characters to breathe, think, and be the confused kids they're meant to be. [More]

Starring: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan

Starring: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, Carly Schroeder

Director: Jacob Estes

Director: Jacob Estes
Screenwriter: Jacob Estes
Producer: Rick Rosenthal, Hagai Shaham, Susan Johnson
Studio: Paramount Classics

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Mean Creek

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
04/29/05
Independent
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N/R

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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/26/05
BBC
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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/06/04
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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An astute examination of youth culture that blows away Hollywood's pathetic attempts to get into the mind of a teen.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/04/04
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
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Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
08/14/07
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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First time writer/ director Estes brings sensitivity and insight to this tale of teens pushed to extremes and forced to confront their sense of responsibility and morality

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/30/05
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
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example of everything that is good in American independent cinema

Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/30/05
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews
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Follows a fluid narrative that never feels contrived, and leaves the audience with genuine sympathy for every single child involved.

Full Review Source: eCinemaCenter.com | comment Comment
08/25/05
Gabe Leibowitz
eCinemaCenter.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
08/05/05
Sydney Morning Herald
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Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
04/09/05
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette
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A mature, significant contribution to the unfornately growing trend of films that address teen violence (unfortunate in that we need the trend at all).

Full Review Source: Freeze Dried Movies | comment Comment
04/01/05
Brian Juergens
Freeze Dried Movies
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A wonderful, if dreary, teen drama.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
02/07/05
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal
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I’ve actually known my fair share of troubled kids, and this film is as accurate a depiction of them as I’ve ever seen.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
01/30/05
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
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...a movie about moral choices, about learning what it is to be decent in the world.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/27/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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We're forced to stare both the perpetrators and the victims full in the face, to see what made them the fools they are and what will come of the foolishness they commit.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
Ratings Image

Angry kids on an unsupervised boat trip? Constant ominous music? Gee, wonder what's going to happen next.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
01/04/05
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Related Forums for Mean Creek

REEL_REVIEWER
MEAN CREEK is a teen drama that merges "The Outsiders" with "The River's Edge"???...
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/18/07

REEL_REVIEWER
MEAN CREEK is a teen drama that merges "The Outsiders" with "The River's Edge"???...
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/18/07

REEL_REVIEWER
MEAN CREEK is a teen drama that merges "The Outsiders" with "The River's Edge"???...
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/18/07

REEL_REVIEWER
MEAN CREEK is a teen drama that merges "The Outsiders" with "The River's Edge"???...
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/18/07

One minor flaw that irks me.
by: Aqueryan Reloaded 2/25/07
See All

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