Mean Creek (2004)

Director:

Jacob Aaron Estes

Writer (WGA):

Jacob Aaron Estes (written by)

Release Date:

29 September 2004 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.

Plot:

When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek vengeance.

Plot Keywords:

Bully | Friend | River | Boat | Prank

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Rory Culkin	...	Sam Merric
Ryan Kelley	...	Clyde
Scott Mechlowicz	...	Marty
Trevor Morgan	...	Rocky Merric
Josh Peck	...	George Tooney
Carly Schroeder	...	Millie
Branden Williams	...	Kile Blank
Raissa Fleming	...	Maggie Tooney
Heath Lourwood	...	Jasper
Ryan Peterson	...	Cashier
Michael Fisher-Welsh	...	Mr. Levinworth
J.W. Crawford	...	Tom (as James W. Crawford)
Shelly Lipkin	...	Mr. Merrick
Kaz Garas	...	Detective Wright
Hagai Shaham	...	Handsome Police Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Melissa Brooks	...	Lady at school (uncredited)

Directed by
Jacob Aaron Estes

Writing credits (WGA)
Jacob Aaron Estes		(written by)

Produced by
Deborah Del Prete	....	executive producer
Susan Johnson	....	producer
Dessie Markovsky	....	associate producer
Jacob Mosler	....	co-producer
Ryan Peterson	....	associate producer
Gigi Pritzker	....	executive producer
Rick Rosenthal	....	producer
Hagai Shaham	....	producer
Nancy Stephens	....	executive producer

Original Music by
tomandandy

Cinematography by
Sharone Meir		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Madeleine Gavin

Casting by
Matthew Lessall

Production Design by
Greg McMickle

Art Direction by
Betsy Goslin

Costume Design by
Cynthia Morrill

Makeup Department
Molly Craytor	....	key hair stylist
Molly Craytor	....	key makeup artist
E. Larry Day	....	hair department head
E. Larry Day	....	makeup department head
Teresa Livengood	....	hair stylist
Gary J. Tunnicliffe	....	corpse creation

Production Management
Matt DiFranco	....	unit production manager
Ryan Peterson	....	post-production supervisor
Stephanie Tichenor	....	pre-production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jill Hoppy	....	second second assistant director
Jacob Mosler	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Anne Hartner	....	art intern
Libby Klaetsch	....	art intern
Jay Martin	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Lance Brown	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lance Brown	....	supervising sound editor
Michael Cottrell	....	production sound mixer
J. Aloysius Flanagan III	....	foley editor
Damon P. Harris	....	boom operator (as Damon Harris)
Ricky Hernandez	....	sound designer
Steve Hollenbeck	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Jackson	....	supervising sound editor (as Robert C. Jackson)
Emile Razpopov	....	sound designer
Xavier Sol	....	sound editor
Xavier Sol	....	sound re-recording mixer
Curt Cash	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Scott Kramer	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Derek Bird	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Adam Stern	....	digital compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Steve Buckley	....	stunt coordinator
Travis Swanson	....	water safety

Camera and Electrical Department
John Banholzer	....	best boy grip
Noal Clemons	....	electrician (as Noel Clemons)
Xiomara Comrie	....	first assistant camera
Kevin Cozad	....	electrician
Jim Dunn	....	electrician
Brian Fleskes	....	key grip (as Brian 'Coach' Fleskes)
Bruce 'Sarge' Fleskes	....	additional grip
Anthony Hardwick	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Wes Houle	....	electrician (as Wes Hoyle)
David R. Kohn	....	gaffer (as David Kohn)
J.P. Morgan	....	best boy grip
Josh Peck	....	additional videographer
Oliver Ponce	....	second assistant camera
Steve Purcell	....	electrician
Lex Rawlins	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Chris Schram	....	best boy grip
Kelli Schroeder	....	still photographer
Luke Spalding	....	grip intern
Chris Steele	....	best boy electric
Crawford Vining	....	camera intern
James Winters	....	electrician
Mark Tomlinson	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Megann Ratzow	....	casting: Portland
Lynn Reinstein	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Heather Cornick	....	wardrobe intern
M.M. Craytor	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Ray Morfino	....	technical consultant: editing
Penny Olson	....	assistant editor
Richard Semer	....	color timer
Chris Weber	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Jessica Catron	....	musician: cello
Tom Hajdu	....	musician: keyboard, percussion
Leandro Maciel	....	music engineer
Leandro Maciel	....	musician: guitars
Andy Milburn	....	musician: keyboard
P. Daniel Newman	....	music editor (as P. Dan Newman)
tomandandy	....	music producer
Robin Urdang	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Tyler Robinson	....	driver: grip truck
Keith Sheldon	....	driver: fifth wheel

Other crew
Roger Armstrong	....	legal services
David Barr	....	office production assistant
Aaron Corpus	....	key production intern
Alex Davenport	....	office production assistant
Marc Dearmond	....	production intern
Bret Dickerson	....	key boat operator
Coleen Donnelly	....	caterer
Sage Eaton	....	production assistant
Erik Fauske	....	production intern
Nat Flynn-Ryan	....	production intern
Peter Froelich	....	security
Susan Funk	....	location production assistant
Shaun Gavin	....	location manager
Tim Gradt	....	location production assistant
Doris Hellmann	....	production accountant
Simon Hill	....	location manager
Jason R. Houston	....	script supervisor
Gabe Huston	....	third boat operator
Matt Jebbia	....	production intern
Joan Johnson	....	production coordinator
Lisa Loven	....	legal services
Erick Mertz	....	production intern
Billy Miller	....	security
Zamin Mirza	....	production intern
Rob Nahurski	....	assistant to producers
Davis Priestley	....	production assistant
Michele Robertson	....	publicist
Jane Rosenthal	....	canoe wrangler
Amanda Santana	....	craft service assistant
Marissa Santana	....	craft service assistant
Molly Santana	....	craft service
Sophie Serbulo	....	caterer
Douglas J. Sutherland	....	production associate (as Doug Sutherland)
Thad Tyler	....	second boat operator
Julie Landholt	....	graphic artist: titles (uncredited)

Thanks
Gretchen Lieberum	....	thanks
William Mapother	....	thanks
Daniel Petrie Jr.	....	thanks (as Dan Petrie Jr.)
Stuart Provine	....	thanks
Emily Gerson Saines	....	special thanks
Adam Stern	....	thanks
Stephanie Tichenor	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Whitewater Films

Distributors

• Paramount Classics (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (video)
• Filmes do Estação (2005) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• TOBIS Film (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Compagnia Distribuzione Internazionale (CDI) (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Film Pop (2005) (Turkey) (all media)
• Focus Features (non-USA)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2005) (Thailand) (all media)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2005) (Vietnam) (all media)
• Palisades Tartan (2009) (UK) (all media)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Tohokushinsha Film (2006) (Japan) (all media)

Special Effects

• Two Hours in the Dark (corpse creation)

Other Companies

• Alpha Cine Laboratory  dailies (as Alphacine)
• DTC Grip and Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Half Moon Catering  catering
• Hollywood Global Studios  post sound services
• International Recording  post sound services
• NorthWestExtras  extras casting
• Post Modern Sound  post sound services
• Richard Flores Negative Cutting  negative cutting
• Title House Digital  titles and opticals
• Turbosound  post sound services
• Turbosound  sound editorial

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual references, teen drug and alcohol use.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Sweden:11 | Brazil:16 | Belgium:KT | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut) | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Clackamas River, Clackamas, Oregon, USA

Company:

Whitewater Films

Trivia:

The names that Martini says during shooting practice are all names of various cast and crew members.

Goofs:

Continuity: When dropping Millie off at her house after returning from their misadventure, Millie exits the car with no socks and she is wearing her tennis shoes like clogs with her heels exposed. When she enters her house and climbs the stairs, her socks are on her and shoes cover her entire feet.

Quotes:

[first lines]
George: Hey! What do you think you're doing? You're a punk, Sam!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Sound of Settling

Excellent teen character study

One of the greatest movies ever made is 'A Place in the Sun'. Based on a true murder case, this story features a protagonist who takes his pregnant ex-girlfriend on a boating trip with the intention of drowning her so he won't have to marry her. At the last moment, he has a pang of conscience (or did he just lose his nerve?) and he confesses his intentions to her ... but then the boat capsizes by accident, and she drowns anyway. The film refuses to let the protagonist off the hook, asserting that -- if he felt relieved by her death -- then he is morally guilty of murdering her.

SPOILERS COMING. 'Mean Creek' raises similar moral questions, in a plot line that evokes not only 'A Place in the Sun', but also 'River's Edge', 'Stand by Me' and 'Deliverance', the latter film even quoted in the dialogue. Four adolescent boys lure teenage George on a boating trip, intending to play a cruel prank on him. A girl comes along too, unaware of their intentions. When she learns what's planned, she persuades the conspirators to call off their plot. But then tragedy intervenes, and George drowns. How culpable are the boys? They literally dig themselves into a deeper hole by burying George's corpse, hoping to conceal the tragedy.

'Mean Creek' features some of the most realistic adolescent dialogue I've ever heard. The boys bait each other with insults that are misogynist and homophobic. (One boy, Clyde, has two gay fathers.) Although the dialogue pulls no punches, the camera set-ups pull several. At one point, a boy urinates into the river: we see the stream of urine but the boy is out of frame. The most aggressive of the boys, Marty, makes several boasts about his genital endowment. Eventually, he is goaded into dropping his shorts and showing his stuff: the camera shoots this scene from behind, so we never find out what the fuss is about.

Director/screenwriter Jacob Aaron Estes shows a great deal of talent, but makes a few strange decisions. At several points, the camera shows us printed words on a sign or a bumper sticker ... but then the camera pulls away, or the object recedes from the camera, before most of the audience can read what's written. The script is nearly as good as the dialogue, with splendid exposition and only a few pacing problems.

MORE SPOILERS. Very early in the film, we learn that Marty owns a handgun. Chekhov's rules of drama stipulate that if a gun shows up in the story, it must eventually be fired. The payoff for this weapon shows up very late in the film, in an unexpected way (and the gun is never fired). In this case, it would have been better if the gun had never been mentioned nor shown until Marty decided to use it. Throughout this film there is a running directorial conceit, with sequences shown from the P.O.V. of George's video camera, but there turns out to be a valid payoff for this.

Every performance in this movie is splendid. I was especially impressed with Rory Culkin (Macaulay's more talented brother), Carly Schroeder as the well-intentioned girl, and Josh Peck as fat unpopular George, who clearly wants to be popular yet can't help being unpleasant. I'll rate 'Mean Creek' 9 out of 10, and I look forward to more films from Jacob Aaron Estes.