Mean Creek (2004)
Note: Spoilers.
Called the "River's Edge" of this
generation by some, "Mean Creek" actually has more
in common with "Stand by Me" and "The Breakfast Club,"
than the dark and edgy 80's film that it is most often
compared to. Here a group of teenagers, some of them
quite young, take a mean bully on a boating trip to
give him his comeuppance, and events unfold contrary
to their plans.
To be sure, the film begins quite
typically and sophomoric. The bully is a chubby kid
and there is lots of name calling and cruelty towards
oversized people. It isn't very pleasant. But soon
the film begins to get better and better and the situation
becomes more adult and much more complex. As the teens
travel down the river, the characters move from stereotypes
to more realistic representations of teens and the
issues at the film, such as retribution, anger and
childish revenge become more hazy and less clear to
the characters, as they often do as we grow older
and become mature. This mid-section of the film is
its most engaging series of moments. The characters
become more focused and the portrayals become much
more intense.
But, alas, the film's plot falls
into a territory we've seen plenty of times before
and, after what might be called the climactic moment,
the film sort of falls apart. Although to its credit,
after the typical epilogue ensues, the film does eventually
go where it needs to go in order to remain realistic.
But the eventual outcome of the characters is not
shown to us fully and this uncomfortable sense of
incompleteness leaves one feeling unsatisfied at the
end of the film.
"Mean Creek" does have much going
for it. It's realistic language including the use
of swear words by the young teen characters makes
the film a much more believable enterprise. And the
acting by the youngsters here is top-notch with many
new faces to watch for emerging in the cast. Of particular
note is Carly Schroeder (TV's "Lizzie McGuire") as
the young female love interest of one of the boys
who goes along for the ride and Ryan Kelley ("Stolen
Summer") as Clyde, a young boy struggling with his
teen peers' continual chiding about his situation
of living with his gay father. There's some pretty
complex things going on with Clyde and Kelley is able
to communicate much about his character's feelings
with little more than his sweet, innocent, sorrowful
face.
"Mean Creek" may not be as edgy
as "River's Edge," as hopeful as "Stand by Me" or
as psychobabble wordy as "Breakfast Club," but in
the era of Hillary Duff and Lindsay Lohan, it's certainly
the most substantial teen flick to come around in
quite some time.
Note:
Also with Rory Culkin, Scott Mechlowicz,
Trevor Morgan and Josh Peck.
Written and directed by Jacob Aaron
Estes. Score by Tomandandy.
Filmed mainly in Oregon.
The film debuted at Sundance in
2004, played Cannes and began an arthouse run in August
of that year.
Viewed in September 2004 at the
Arbor in Austin.
