Mean Creek

Released 2004
Stars Rory Culkin, Trevor Morgan, Scott Mechlowicz, Carly Schroeder, Ryan Kelley, Josh Peck
Directed by Jacob Aaron Estes

Sam (Rory Culkin) is a perfect target for bullies - he's a loner with a small frame and a large intellect who would rather harbor his resentment than act upon it. That makes him an ideal punching bag for George (Josh Peck), whose abuse of Sam goes beyond verbal taunts to physical brutality. One day, when Sam comes home from school with some tell-tale bruises, his older brother, Rocky (Trevor Morgan), decides that the time has come to teach George a lesson. Sam will only go along with the plan if Rocky promises that George will be "hurt without really being hurt." With the help of his friends, Marty (Scott Mechlowicz) and Clyde (Ryan Kelley), Rocky comes up with the perfect scheme involving a seemingly innocent boat ride on a nearby river.

Getting George to come is an easy task. Sam pretends that he wants to mend bridges, so he invites George to his "birthday party." Also in the boat along with Sam, Rocky, George, Marty, and Clyde is Sam's sort-of girlfriend, Millie (Carly Schroeder). But an unusual thing happens during the course of the journey - Sam and Rocky discover that George isn't really a bad guy. He's uncouth and socially immature, but all he really wants is to have a few friends. Were he to possess a scrawny frame rather than a bloated one, he would likely be the target of bullying rather than the bully. Sam and Rocky decide they want to call off the practical joke, and Millie and Clyde agree. But Marty, who is being victimized by his older brother, wants this taste of revenge, even if it's only through a surrogate. His determination to move forward leads to a predictable tragedy.

If, by reading this review, you can guess what happens on the river, Mean Creek will not be spoiled. This is not a thriller, and there aren't a lot of surprises. It is a character piece that examines how teenagers face their first true moral dilemma. The test of principles isn't a simple quandary like whether it's wrong to steal food in the absence of money, but something far more substantive - the kind of test that would strain the ethics of even the most upright adult. When does inaction become culpability? And to what degree can the promptings of a guilt-ridden conscience be ignored?

Summary by James Berardinelli

There are certain movies you can use as teaching tools for your kids, and this is one of them. They have to be a little older due to the language, but there are certain things I want my kids to know. One is that you never compound your mistakes. Whenever you break the law, you have to decide how to proceed. The key lesson is to never make it worse by running from the cops or trying to cover up something serious. Hopefully my kids will never be in such a situation, but if you watch "World's Wildest Police Chases" you see kids go on high speed chases all the time for no reason. They panic and turn something small into something very serious. If those kids had it drilled in their heads that you always face the music and stand up for your actions, they wouldn't have gone to jail, become paralyzed, or even died. The key is knowing it ahead of time so you don't panic. I didn't blame the kids in this movie for anything they did until they panicked and decided to cover it up. George's death was an accident, and I'm sure nothing would have happened to them. Marty, however, decided to declare himself guilty and go on a crime spree.

The other lesson to learn is that bullies are not confident people. They're pathetic losers who bully others for different reasons, but none of the reasons stem from confidence. They all have problems and may even be reacting to others bullying them. In this movie, there are three bullies, George, Marty, and Kile, who all act as they do for varying reasons. If reaching out to a bully doesn't work, and you don't have a good way to get back at him, you can rest assured they're unhappy now and will be even unhappier as adults. Sometimes that knowledge is enough. --Bill Alward, February 8, 2005