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Mean Creek

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For the band, see Mean Creek (band).

Mean Creek
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJacob Aaron Estes
Written byJacob Aaron Estes
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySharone Meir
Edited byMadeleine Gavin
Music byTomandandy
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Classics
Release dates
  • January 15, 2004 (2004-01-15) (Sundance)
  • May 14, 2004 (2004-05-14) (Cannes)
  • August 20, 2004 (2004-08-20) (U.S.)
Running time
89 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000
Box office$802,948[2]

Mean Creek is a 2004 American coming-of-age psychological drama film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes and starring Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder. The film is about a group of teenagers in a small Oregon town who devise a plan to get revenge on an overweight, troubled bully during a boating trip. When their plan goes too far, they have to face unexpected consequences. It was produced by Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, and Hagai Shaham.[3]

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 15, 2004, and was later screened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2004. It was then given a limited release in major US cities on August 20, 2004, mostly playing at art house theaters.

Plot

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In a small Oregon town, overweight school bully George Tooney films himself playing basketball. Small and quiet Sam Merric touches George's camera, resulting in George mercilessly attacking Sam. Sam tells his older brother Rocky about the incident, to which Rocky tells his friends, reserved Clyde and troubled Marty Blank, thus devising a plan for revenge. Part of the prank involves taking George on a boating trip to celebrate Sam's fictional birthday. Then, they plan to strip him in a game of truth or dare, throw him into the river, and make him run home naked.

Sam invites his new girlfriend Millie along, and Marty drives the group to the river. During the ride, George reveals a different side of himself by being genuinely pleased to be invited and that he is dyslexic. However, Sam does not tell Millie the real plan until they arrive near the river. Millie refuses to continue until Sam promises to call the plan off. Sam tells Rocky, who then tells Clyde and Marty, with Marty being very reluctant to do so. Throughout the trip, George clumsily attempts to fit in with the group. Despite this, he also gets confrontational when questioned about his motives (or lack thereof). The group soon realizes that although George is annoying, he is just very lonely and only wants to be socially accepted.

On the boat, Marty deviates from the plan and initiates a game of truth or dare, though the rest decide to go along. After George sprays Marty with a water gun in good fun, he makes a funny quip about Marty's father, not remembering that it is a sore subject as Marty's father committed suicide. This triggers Marty, who exposes the whole plan. A heated George lashes out at the others, aiming homophobic slurs at Clyde over his gay father, and antisemitic pejoratives at Millie. The confrontation ends with George taunting Marty about his deceased father by repeatedly chanting, "His daddy splattered his brains all over the wall!" As Rocky tries to stop the fight, he accidentally shoves George off the boat and into the water.

Unable to swim, George struggles to remain afloat in the water. As the others watch the scene in terror, George accidentally hits his head with his camera and does not come up to the surface. Rocky dives into the water and finds George, who is face down in the shallow water close to the shore. Millie attempts to give George CPR, but is unsuccessful. Traumatized, the group digs a hole on the shore and buries George's corpse in a shallow grave.

Clyde's plan is to explain to the authorities that it was an accident, but Marty threatens him, reminding Clyde that George's camera (now lost in the water) contains Marty's taped confession of the original plan, and the authorities will find out if the camera is discovered. As they had already tricked George into not telling his mother where he was going, she would not know of their involvement. They later gather at Sam and Rocky's house. Sam, Rocky, Clyde, and Millie are willing to face the consequences as opposed to having George's death hanging over their heads. Marty refuses to turn himself in and feels betrayed. He storms out and convinces his brother to give him his gun and car. He then robs a gas station and leaves the country, becoming a fugitive.

Meanwhile, the others go to George's house and confess to his mother. Sam is later seen inside an interrogation room, telling the story to the police, who later find and view the tape from George's camera. The tape reveals George explaining his dream of becoming a filmmaker and documenting his life in hopes that those who see it will finally understand him plays in the background. The police force, Sam, his father, and George's mother find the location of George's corpse. As the sheriff exhumes George's corpse, Sam watches on in regret while George's mother cries in grief. George ends the video and turns off the camera.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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Mean Creek was originally conceived by director Jacob Aaron Estes around 1996 and 1997.[4] At the time, Estes felt that there were very few films about kids dealing with a tragedy, a genre he had always admired both as a kid and as an adult student of film.[4] The film was independently financed with a budget of $500,000, although about $350,000 of it was spent off screen or donated.[4]

Filming

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Principal photography of Mean Creek began July 19, 2003 in several locations in Clackamas County, Oregon, including the cities of Boring, Sandy, and Estacada.[5][6] The crew was largely hired out of Portland, and the production headquartered in neighboring Gresham.[5] Footage on the river was filmed on the Lewis River in southwest Washington.

Release

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Mean Creek premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival,[7] and was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.[8]

Reception

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Box office

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Mean Creek received a limited release in North America in four theaters and grossed $29,170 with an average of $7,292 per theater. The film earned $603,951 domestically and $198,997 internationally for a total of $802,948. Based on a $500,000 budget, the film can be considered a modest box office success.[2]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 123 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Mean Creek is an uncomfortably riveting glimpse into the casual cruelty of youth."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[10]

Roger Ebert praised the acting and concept of teenagers making conscious moral decisions and wrote "Mean Creek joins a small group of films including River's Edge and Bully which deal accurately and painfully with the consequences of peer-driven behavior. Kids who would not possibly act by themselves form groups that cannot stop themselves. This movie would be an invaluable tool for moral education in schools, for discussions of situational ethics and refusing to go along with the crowd."[11]

A. O. Scott, writing for The New York Times, called it an "honest, provocative picture" and "earnest almost to a fault, exploring the moral difficulties of its characters with heartfelt—and at times heartsick—empathy."[12] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times praised the film's performances and added that "Estes has an uncanny knack for creating character, and for finding the kind of throwaway detail that resonates — the dull two-tone ring of a convenience-store door, for example, seems to speak volumes about the boredom and restlessness these kids face."[13]

Accolades

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Award Category Subject Result Ref.
Deauville American Film Festival Grand Special Prize Jacob Aaron Estes Nominated
Flanders International Film Festival Ghent Grand Prix Nominated
Humanitas Prize Sundance Film Category Won [14]
Independent Spirit Awards John Cassavetes Award Susan Johnson, Rick Rosenthal, and Hagai Shaham Won [15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
Special Distinction Award Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder Won
Stockholm International Film Festival Best Directorial Debut Jacob Aaron Estes Won
Young Artist Awards Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film Rory Culkin Nominated
Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film Carly Schroeder Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "MEAN CREEK (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 3, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Mean Creek (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  3. ^ "Mean Creek". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "The making of Mean Creek". Get Hampshire. April 22, 2005. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Associated Press (July 8, 2003). "Movie's filming to bring boost to Estacada". The Daily News. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. (subscription required)
  6. ^ ""Mean Creek" in 35mm with Filmmaker Q&A". Oregon Confluence. July 12, 2022. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022.
  7. ^ Rooney, David (February 10, 2004). "Par Classics nets 'Mean'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
  8. ^ Kay, Jeremy (June 8, 2004). "Mean Creek kicks off Cannes showcase at LAFF". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
  9. ^ "Mean Creek". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 30, 2025. Edit this at Wikidata
  10. ^ "Mean Creek". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  11. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 26, 2004). "'Mean Creek' a lesson in real teen life". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013 – via RogerEbert.com.
  12. ^ Scott, A. O. (August 20, 2004). "FILM REVIEW; When a Lesson Taught Turns Into a Lesson Learned". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
  13. ^ Macdonald, Moira (August 27, 2004). ""Mean Creek" evokes end-of-childhood turbulence". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "Past Winners —— Humanitas". Humanitas Prize. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018.
  15. ^ King, Susan (December 1, 2004). "Independent bids for Spirit Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
  16. ^ ""Sideways" and "Maria Full of Grace" Lead Spirit Award Nominations". IndieWire. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
  17. ^ "Spirit Awards Toasts 'Sideways' With Sweep of Six Major Categories". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2005.
  18. ^ "Sideways Wins Six at Independent Spirit Awards". IndieWire. February 28, 2005. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013.
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