MEAN CREEK
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After a severe beating received in the school yard, Sam (Rory Culkin, "Igby
Goes Down," "You Can Count on Me") confides in older brother Rocky (Trevor
Morgan, "The Patriot"), who decides to teach Sam's tormentor George (Joshua
Peck, "Spun") a lesson. Rocky and his over-eager buddy Marty (Scott
Mechlowicz, "Euro Trip") cook up a bogus birthday boating trip for Sam so
they can invite George, strip him of his clothes and abandon him miles from
home. George, however, turns out to be a misunderstood, troubled kid that
everyone but Marty decides to befriend. But evil intent, like the ripples
of a stone dropped into a pond, will haunt that day on "Mean Creek."
First time writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes powerful debut is destined to
be compared to 1986's "River's Edge," but whereas that film invoked shocked
disbelief at the actions of a group of outcast teens, "Mean Creek" is more
extraordinary in its exploration of the human ingredients of a tragedy
using characters we can empathize with. Estes' amazing ensemble cast may
turn out to be the 2004 version of Coppola's "The Outsiders," which
featured such 'unknowns' as Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon and Diane Lane.
Estes demonstrates how surface perception frequently hides an entirely
different reality. George can be seen as a bully living a privileged life
in a higher economic stratum than most of the other kids, but he's a
learning disabled loner who lives in the self-contained world of his
digital video diaries who lashes out at perceived threats. His mother is
single and probably over indulgent (note the needlepoint pillow in George's
room - 'If it's not one thing, it's your mother'). Sam's crowd has an
entirely different set of problems. Marty is constantly having abuse
heaped on him by his gun-toting older brother Kile (Brandon Williams,
"Crossroads") and his obnoxious friend Jasper (Heath Lourwood). Quiet
Clyde (Ryan Kelley, "Stolen Summer") is taunted for being raised by a gay
couple. Rocky and Sam have a loving relationship that becomes ironic when
Rocky's protectiveness of his brother fuels a need for revenge (Estes
writes the hatching of this idea, a plan to hurt without physically
hurting, couched between typical brotherly observations on J Lo and Heather
Locklear) .
The screenplay is a wonder of cause and effect. George is looking for the
same thing as everyone else. He attempts to look cool to fit in and have
friends, yet his verbal attack on Marty, which sparks the fuse of the
film's climax, is based on a loss that he himself has probably suffered,
albeit on a lesser scale. The cyclical nature of abuse is subtly drawn in
Marty's backstory. A game of truth or dare becomes a chance to make others
experience one's own fears, most poignantly when Sam's first kiss with
Millie (Carly Schroeder, "The Lizzy Maguire Movie"), the lone female in the
group, is embarrassingly public.
Rory Culkin, the only name in the cast, continues to build an impressive
body of work for someone barely in his teens. His Sam is a decent,
thoughtful kid in the throes of an intelligently handled first romance
(which can't help but recall older brother Macauley's 1991 "My Girl").
Carly Schroeder, who could pass as Reese Witherspoon's little sister, makes
Millie a moral compass thrown into a situation she did not ask for.
Schroeder's impassioned cries of disbelief on the riverbank are
gut-wrenching. The actress's glance into a mirror upon her return home is
an act more usually associated with the loss of virginity and Schroeder
puts the metaphor across. Peck brilliantly captures the delicate balance
of awkwardness and oblivion displayed by people used to being rejected but
unaware of their own peculiarities. His buoyant proclamations are misted in
a slight spray of spit. Mechlowicz carries the weight of predestiny beneath
a playful veneer that makes his friendship with the more grounded Rocky
acceptable.
Using hand held camera and natural light, director of photography Sharone
Meir gets the sun dappled greenery of a perfect summertime day (the film
was shot on the Lewis river on the Oregon/Washington border) while keeping
us focused on the kids' unfolding drama. Production designer Greg McMickle
subtly contrasts George's privileged home against the humbler abodes of the
other kids. Original music by Tomandandy (`The Mothman Prophecies") is
atmospheric without being obtrusive.
The film's R rating is for some nonchalant scenes of pot smoking and some
minor swearing that seem perfectly natural for the age range of the
characters. "Mean Creek" is one of the best films of the summer and should
be seen by anyone looking for intelligent, provocative fare.
A-
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