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Mean Creek

(2004, Rated R, Drama, Starring Rory Culkin, Scott Mechlowicz, Ryan Kelley)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    This movie about teens is for adults only.

Why We Rated This not for kids

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Tolerance is a theme of the movie.
  • Violence:

    Characters use a gun, cut their skin with a knife, and a character is beaten and another is killed. Tense scenes, injuries and death.
  • Sex:

    Very explicit sexual references including insults.
  • Language:

    Extremely strong language.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Drinking, smoking, drug use by teens and kids.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Mean Creek

Parents need to know that this movie includes extremely strong language and very explicit sexual references, including sexual epithets. A character is called "faggot" and insulted because his fathers are gay. Middle schoolers are challenged to French kiss and others are dared to take off their clothes. There is a bare tush and implied nudity. Characters use a gun, cut their skin with a knife, and a character is beaten and another is killed. Teens and younger kids drink, smoke, and use drugs, and one who declines is insulted and pressured. The movie's themes include vigilante justice and there is a painful reference to suicide.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how and why the characters reacted differently to the situations they faced. What is the right way to deal with a bully? Why do the kids have so little faith in the adult world to help them solve their problems? Be sure to notice all of the different tactics characters use to get others to do what they want -- questioning everything from their loyalty and integrity to their manhood. They could also talk about the effect that a secret has on a group and the way it makes the power relationships shift. Instead of bringing them together, it pulls them apart. What do we learn from the cameras in the movie, including George's camera and the one in the police station?

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in California
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    Worst Movie Ever

    This was a terrible and depressing movie. There was a lot of cussing and a large variety of other things. I hated this movie, I would really not, not, not, not, not, not, not recommend it for any child or adult.

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