Mean Creek

"Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret."

2004 1h 30m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 428

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Teenagers living in small-town Oregon take a boat trip for a birthday celebration. When they get an idea to play a mean trick on the town bully, it suddenly goes too far. Soon they're forced to deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions.

“Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Rory Culkin
Sam Merric
Scott Mechlowicz
Marty
Trevor Morgan
Rocky Merric
Josh Peck
George Tooney
Ryan Kelley
Clyde
Carly Schroeder
Millie
Branden Williams
Kile
Heath Lourwood
Jasper

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jacob Aaron Estes
Writers: Jacob Aaron Estes
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, shot by Sharone Meir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tom Hajdu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Madeleine Gavin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rory Culkin and Scott Mechlowicz and Trevor Morgan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jacob Aaron Estes directs. Sharone Meir behind the camera. Tom Hajdu scores. Madeleine Gavin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released 22 years ago.
4Directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, shot by Sharone Meir. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Tom Hajdu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Madeleine Gavin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Rory Culkin and Scott Mechlowicz and Trevor Morgan carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.".
9IMDB entry: tt0377091 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 19 themes, including "suicide", "lake", "alcohol", "birthday".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Sharone Meir
Original score: Tom Hajdu
Editing: Madeleine Gavin
Costume design: Cynthia Morrill
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $500,000
Box office: $603,943
Return: 121% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Mean Creek (2004)

Also by

Jacob Aaron Estes

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-09-10
★ 6/10
I pretty much never turn down a movie that purports to be in the "Fucked-Up-Coming-of-Age-Movie" category, and rarely am I disappointed. Mean Creek does absolutely nothing to buck that trend, being a completely engaging movie that I started recommending to people before I'd even finished watching it. Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.

Production companies