Mean Creek [2004] [DVD]

The advert for Mean Creek is really dumbed down and disguises an intelligent indie flick about relationships and the complicated hierarchal structure of teenage bullying. Its a pretty tragic and harrowing story with some brilliant performances from a young cast and Jacob Aaron Estes' script is superb because whilst the kids in the film treat each other as two dimensional caricatures, we get to see them in more depth and as a result there's no specific hero or villain on show. I'm making Mean Creek sound like a real bore but its actually a great thriller/drama with ties to classic films like "Stand By Me" and "Deliverance" - which is about as good a recommendation as you can get.

Personally, i think this movie is one of the best I've ever seen, and it's probably my second or third favourite movie. However, I can understand that a lot of people might not like the film. But just because you don't like a film doesn't make it bad.

The thing that defines this movie is it's dialogue. The amount of swearing earned it a high rating in most countries, but the dialogue between teenagers in this film is the best written I've seen in a movie for quite a long time. It's a shame that this has resulted in the high rating because it will exclude a lot of people who are the right age to appreciate what this film is trying to say.

I bought this film recently from America, because it go a release in only three cinemas in the entire of England! It was worth the wait to get it on DVD though -- finally, a movie about young people that isn't stereotypical, Hollywood-ised and badly written, and actually attempts to create characters out of the teenagers instead of some demonised monsters who kill other teenagers, like the kind of thing the media might blow it up into. All credit to Jacob Aaron Estes (writer/director) for bringing a little moral ambiguity into it -- what would you do in this situation? Honestly -- I know what I should do, but I have a strong feeling that if this situation actually happened, I wouldn't actually be thinking about that.

Also, the performances in this movie are incredible. Each of the actors brings their characters to life brilliantly, and credit to Estes for managing to get strong performances from six young actors. Personally, I think the best performance is Ryan Kelley's as Clyde, because it was the most understated of the roles, and yet he created a complex character with relatively little material to work on, although all of the actors, especially Josh Peck, were exceptional. And who'dve thought that Eurotrips Scotty would turn out to be such a good dramatic actor.

Anyway -- I really like this movie, as I said. But I think it mostly appeals to a younger audience, of maybe 13-20. I'm sixteen, and I really enjoyed it and thought that the characters were well-written, etc. but I have met other people who are older who don't think this film is as good, so I guess a lot of the quality of the film comes from your empathy with the characters. Personally, i rate this film at about five stars, but for anyone above about thirty who can't remember what it was like to be a teenager, i suppose it possibly only rates about three stars for you. Every film relies on your own personal reaction though, so see the movie to decide, and hopefully it will get the recognition it deserves.

Personally, I can't see where this movie deserves the criticism it seems to be receiving from others' reviews. How can the plot of a movie which is only 86 minutes long be too slow? Maybe the plot doesn't have all the cliche twists & turns that a Hollywood movie about teenagers would, but that's one of the exceptional things about Mean Creek. The whole story flows so naturally, from the performances of the uber talented young cast, to the realistic dialogue, to the eventual tragic conclusion. People who enjoy watching Hollywood interpretations of how adolescence and hormones can create knife-wielding psychopaths out of kids will probably not like this film. This film doesn't exploit its teen characters to serve the plot, unlike slasher films, which are a lot of good fun but cannot be taken seriously. This film is here to make a subtle point on the complexities of adolescence, which is probably best summed up by Trevor Morgan when he says "I don't know what to think", to which Scott Mechlowicz replies "Well if you don't know what to think then maybe you shouldn't be making decisions". When we are teenagers (and I should really be familiar with this because I'm still going through it at 17) we make choices that seem so concretely right one minute, and which seem completely misjudged and wrong the next. It is a time when we are very rarely really in control of our emotions, or are even able to understand their reason. Estes, the debut director and writer of Mean Creek, has used this observation to guide his characters seamlessly through the story wihtout it ever feeling like they are puppets.

You won't find any cringy heart-to-heart Hollywood moments in this film; the characters' emotions are brought to the surface but never probed too deeply or intruded upon, which adds to the realistic feel. The film is entirely shot using a hand-held camera, further drawing you in so you are there with the characters, feeling what they feel, experiencing what they experience. The film is set in a small Oregon town which lends itself subtly to the increasing feeling of bleakness and alienation which is so rife in the teenage years.

The performances from the young cast are all exceptional and in particular it is the relationship between best friends Rocky (Trevor Morgan) and Marty (Scott Mechlowicz) which tear you apart. Their obvious bond is continually tested throughout the film and their strong friendship beautifully expressed without it ever feeling sentimental. The relationship between the boys is beautifully encapsulated in one of the closing scenes when Marty's and Rocky's moral conscience lead them on different paths and they know it is the last time they will ever see each other. Their seeming inability to tell each other how much the other means to them when it matters most is a realistic portrayal of most close teenage friendships, and emphasises the poignancy of what both characters now face.

Josh Peck plays the misunderstood bully George, who provokes the story, and proves that he is a much more talented actor for drama than his character on kids' comedy Drake & Josh would have you believe. He's not just a comic figure; he gets under the skin of his character and shows his loneliness, alienation and altogether good heart which contrasts stunningly with his mishandled rage.

Clyde presents a very understated character, but portrays the complexities of being a bit of a third wheel and having a moral core perfectly without much material to work with. Sam and Millie together represent blossoming love and childish innocence against a backdrop of moral complexities and trying to hold onto what is right amidst the alcohol and drugs peer pressure of adolescence.

This film doesn't shy away from honesty and the characters have no respite from the horror of what they have let happen; the situation faces them head-on and gives them no excuses, which I feel sets it apart from many teenage movies of today where the guilty characters are let off much too leniently, simply because they are the young 'heroes' of the movie.

Mean Creek is down to earth and real. You might dislike the way modern day teenage life is portrayed, but that doesn't make it a 'bad' film. It just means it's done its job in provoking a reaction and contemplation.

I recommend this film to everyone because you simply cannot afford to miss something so raw and real and beautiful.