Grade: A- | Genre: Drama Summary: This is a film that sticks with you. It's a stunning portrayal of innocense lost and of life altering decisions.

Staring: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, Carly Schroeder
Director: Jacob Aaron Estes

If you could snap your fingers and have your worst enemy drop dead, would you do it? Mean Creek is about Sam, a young school kid who is beaten up regularly by a bigger, stronger and older bully, George. So he and his brother, Rocky, decide to pull a prank by inviting George out a boating trip.

With the help of Rocky's friends, all with varying family backgrounds (Marty's dead father and Clyde's 2 gay fathers), they plan to pay George back by stripping him naked and having him walk home alone. Along the way, they discover that George isn't such a bad guy, and they even have pity for him after learning he suffers from dyslexia.

Even though the plan is called off, tempers flare, and George's true self comes out. He knows exactly what to say and what nerves to touch as his razor sharp tongue cuts into the inner-beings of Marty, Clyde and the rest of the group. One by one, he tears everyone to pieces and has us wanting to snap our fingers. What was meant to be a harmless prank turns out to be the worst day in their young lives.

Mean Creek is a film that sticks with you. It's a stunning portrayal of innocense lost and of life altering decisions. The performances are understatedly perfect allowing for the story to develop and to tell itself.

Buy Mean Creek or rent it now.

On the side: The Mean Creek Soundtrack is also impressive with cuts from indie favs Death Cab for Cutie and Spoon.