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Mean Creek (2004)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
July 30th, 2008
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'Mean Creek' was a little gem of a movie initially overlooked by audiences in 2004; it marked the feature film debut of Jacob Aaron Estes, and bears some resemblance to Larry Clark's Bully, though it shows more restraint and does not incorporate quite so much violence and sex. And the protagonists are smarter and more likable. Sam (Rory Culkin) gets into a scuffle with school bully George (Josh Peck); Sam's older brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan) suggests revenge, though Sam is kind and forgiving, it takes some urging to persuade him to go along with the scheme. Rocky recruits the help of his two friends, the reckless and rebellious Marty (Scott Mechlowicz) and the quiet, reserved Clyde (Ryan Kelley), who is teased because he is being raised by two homosexual men. Rocky wants to play a prank on George, to teach him a lesson, and he invites George to join him, Sam, Marty, Clyde, and Sam's girlfriend Millie (Carly Schroeder) on a boating trip upstream, presumably to celebrate Sam's birthday.
George is elated to receive the invitation; here is an overweight and insecure kid, a bit weird and obnoxious, but it is difficult to hate him; in fact, everybody begins to have second thoughts, everyone except for Marty, who is pushed over the edge by George's cruel and insensitive comments about his dead father. Millie and Sam sort of pity George, realize he is not really such a bad guy, in many ways, he is a typical teenager, he pretends to be cool and smoke the cigarettes and pot offered to him by Marty, in an effort to impress the older boy. George is portrayed sympathetically, and then Estes decides to have him sling those hurtful comments at Marty, which show his ugly side, also present early on when he attacks Sam for merely bothering his prized video camera.
But George does not deserve what ultimately happens to him; he falls into the water and drowns. Rocky dives in to save him, but does not respond quickly enough. Millie attempts CPR to no avail. George's death is an accident, not a premeditated act, but it would still be considered murder; there is a debate about what to do with the body. Marty wants to bury it and keep quiet so the cops will never find out. Sam, Millie, and Clyde are wracked with guilt. They want to confess, but Marty intimidates them to remain silent. Marty is understandably terrified, and he does what he thinks is the only rational thing, to cover-up the crime as best he can. It is, of course, the wrong decision, and the consequences would be even more severe than if he went directly to the police, but the situation puts pressure on one to think quickly, and Marty has a solution to the problem when no one else does, and they initially agree to it. This is an intelligent, unsettling, and superbly acted morality tale.
Estes captures adolescent language well, the profanity, the playful name calling, the verbal posturing, and the sexual curiosity, especially during a game of Truth and Dare, when Rocky is asked to describe what was on his mind the last time he jerked off, Sam and Millie are dared to french kiss, Marty's dare involves exposing his genitals, and George tries to catch a peek of what lies under Millie's skirt. Marty is not above being a bully himself, and his troubled home life reveals an abusive older sibling named Kile (Branden Williams) and a neglectful, pill-popping mother, mentioned only in passing. Sam and Rocky have a strong relationship; Rocky wants to protect and inspire Sam, and Sam looks up to him. The romance between Sam and Millie is infectiously sweet; they have a bond of trust and respect and a genuine attraction to one another that is absent in most adult relationships.
Estes does not let any of his characters off the hook, makes it clear that all of them will pay a price, whatever that may be. Marty may be old enough to be sent off to prison, but his accomplices are juveniles, and would be tried and sentenced as such. The ending strikes an emotional chord, is painful in how it shows George's mother confronting the reality of her son's death. I would say the ending is abrupt, and leaves us in the dark about the fate of these kids, but at least we come away with the certainty that they did the right thing, as their collective consciences compelled them to do.
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