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Mean Creek

Play trailer Poster for Mean Creek R 2004 1h 29m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 121 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Quiet adolescent Sam (Rory Culkin) has been bullied by George (Josh Peck), a fellow student who has trouble fitting in with other teens. When Rocky (Trevor Morgan), Sam's elder brother, finds out Sam is being picked on, he enlists his buddies to help get back at George. They ask George to accompany them on a boating expedition deep in the woods, but when their plan to humiliate George horrifically backfires, the friends make a series of poor decisions that will change their lives.
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Mean Creek

Mean Creek

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media This movie about teens is for adults only. Rated: 3/5 Dec 26, 2010 Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Estes' dark sunlit tale cuts like a knife. Rated: 3/4 Oct 19, 2004 Full Review Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel A low-key, low-budget thriller that reminds us just how cruel young people can be. Rated: 4/5 Sep 24, 2004 Full Review Steve Erickson Nashville Scene For all its contrivances and hesitations, Mean Creek showcases a real, promising talent-even if he might be better off writing about characters his own age. Jan 29, 2019 Full Review Sean Nelson The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Mean Creek is a strong premise gone horribly awry. Aug 23, 2017 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed A very effective tale of morals, conscience, and peer pressure. Apr 29, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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mark g Disturbing and gripping. You go along for the ride, knowing that it won't end well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review John S Well done morality play involving teenagers. Sound familiar? Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/24 Full Review Jerod S The creek is peaceful, the kids are the mean ones. When little Culkin gets bullied by the kid with dyslexia, his little gang of friends plan to ridicule him on the creek. But it gets much worse. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/13/23 Full Review Rami A A teen film that is only intended for adults and does a superb job of fusing comedy with drama. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/16/23 Full Review colin m Good film but the ending left me feeling shortchanged. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review dave s It's not that Mean Creek isn't a good movie, because it's actually pretty decent. It's just that you can't ignore the fact that it feels like you've seen it before. And why is that? Because it borrows heavily from other movies of the same type. When a bullying victim's older brother decides to dole out some retribution on the perpetrator, things take a tragic and unexpected turn. The handheld camera gets a bit tiresome at times and the whole conundrum could have been resolved by simply telling the truth, but the movie is saved by some pretty respectable performances from the young cast, a story that moves along at a nice clip and enough moral dilemmas to keep the mental wheels turning. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Mean Creek

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Cast & Crew

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Jacob Aaron Estes

Director

Rory Culkin

Sam Merrick

Ryan Kelley

Clyde

Scott Mechlowicz

Marty Blank

Trevor Morgan

Rocky Merrick

Josh Peck

George Tooney

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Mean Creek

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Movie Info

Synopsis Quiet adolescent Sam (Rory Culkin) has been bullied by George (Josh Peck), a fellow student who has trouble fitting in with other teens. When Rocky (Trevor Morgan), Sam's elder brother, finds out Sam is being picked on, he enlists his buddies to help get back at George. They ask George to accompany them on a boating expedition deep in the woods, but when their plan to humiliate George horrifically backfires, the friends make a series of poor decisions that will change their lives.
Director
Jacob Aaron Estes
Producer
Rick Rosenthal, Susan Johnson, Hagai Shaham
Screenwriter
Jacob Aaron Estes
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, Focus Features
Production Co
Whitewater Films
Rating
R (Sexual References|Language|Teen Alcohol and Drug Use)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 15, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$603.9K
Runtime
1h 29m
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