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Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Estes has accomplished quite a bit here. In addition to providing a textbook example of suspense, he also makes us want to know what happens to these kids after the screen goes dark. Read more
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Estes has an uncanny knack for creating character, and for finding the kind of throwaway detail that resonates. Read more
Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune: Such a simple plot barely fills the film's 87 minutes, but writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes more than compensates with his labyrinth of moral dilemmas and complex characters. Read more
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: Takes its place alongside Stand by Me and River's Edge as one of very few films to accurately portray the experience of growing up male. Read more
Melinda Ennis, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: An unusually truthful depiction of the way kids today talk, think and act. Read more
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: Although it is a flawed film, with a first half that moves slowly and sometimes tediously, it is redeemed by a second half that is gripping, not only for its action but for its moral complexity. Read more
Janice Page, Boston Globe: A thoughtful, unpretentious coming-of-age drama with uncommon emotional heft and an engaging young cast. Read more
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: It doesn't pander to or indulge its characters like the teen films we're used to. It looks at them straight ahead and with respect. It's something you wish Hollywood, and even parents, did more often. Read more
Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader: Very much its own picture -- and a damn sight better one than Stand by Me. Read more
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: Estes dives into this material as if it's never been done before, and his characters and situations are so realistic and the film's tone is so assured that he succeeds at making it feel fresh. Read more
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: You could call Mean Creek a moral thriller. And the emotional currents the movie wades into are far more tricky than the gentle surface the kids' boat floats along. Read more
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: There is something precociously mature but natural about the work of this youngest Culkin sibling that stands apart. Read more
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Through the vast land mass of the teen movie, Mean Creek flows with intelligent purpose and thematic passion, at least until it doesn't. Read more
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: It's a dynamic debut for first-time writer-director Jacob Aaron Estes and a provocative showcase for a gifted young cast. Read more
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: The kind of cheerlessly capable first feature that makes you think its young director, Jacob Aaron Estes, will do much better when he finds a voice to call his own. Read more
John Anderson, Newsday: While Estes' tale is unfolding, very little seems anything but natural, plausible and emotionally scrupulous. Read more
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: Has a level of moral and psychological intricacy that is rare in high school fables. Read more
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: A welcome departure from typical movies about teens. Read more
A.O. Scott, New York Times: Jacob Aaron Estes's debut film, about an adolescent prank gone wrong, is like an unusually sensitive and well-acted afterschool special. Read more
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: A low-key, low-budget thriller that reminds us just how cruel young people can be. Read more
James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Estes has provided a keenly-honed view of human psychology. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: It could have been simple-minded and predictable, but it becomes a rare film about moral choices, about the difficulty of standing up against pressure from your crowd. Read more
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: There are all sorts of other themes at work below the surface, including examinations of teenage peer pressure and moral responsibility. Read more
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Yet another small gem from the strong Sundance class of 2004, Mean Creek mines credible drama from teenage revenge fantasies. Read more
Scott Foundas, Variety: Estes' debut feature's strength lies in its crackling intensity, ultra-sharp character insights and an affinity for teenage protagonists who look and sound like real teens. Read more
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: A fairly ordinary, machine-shopped Sundance resume indie, seemingly balanced somewhere between half-realized ambition and inexperience. Read more
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Never preachy, never sanctimonious nor touchy-feely, Mean Creek looks at what a social worker would likely call the roots and the legacy of abuse. Read more
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: That rare movie that manages to be not only an adroit, carefully observed study in character and suspense, but important. Read more