Mean Creek is a 2004 American independent coming-of-age psychological drama film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes and starring Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder.

[4] The film is about a group of teenagers who devise a plan to get revenge on an overweight, troubled bully during a boating trip.

Part of the prank involves taking George on a boating trip to celebrate Sam's fictional birthday.

Then, they plan to strip him in a game of truth or dare, throw him into the river, and make him run home naked.

Sam, Rocky, Clyde, and Millie are willing to face the consequences as opposed to having George's death hanging over their heads.

Sam is later seen inside an interrogation room, telling the story to the police, who later find and view the tape from George's camera.

The tape reveals George explaining his dream of becoming a filmmaker and documenting his life in hopes that those who see it will finally understand him plays in the background.

The site's critical consensus reads "Mean Creek is an uncomfortably riveting glimpse into the casual cruelty of youth.

[7] Roger Ebert praised the acting and concept of teenagers making conscious moral decisions and wrote "Mean Creek joins a small group of films including River's Edge and Bully which deal accurately and painfully with the consequences of peer-driven behavior.

This movie would be an invaluable tool for moral education in schools, for discussions of situational ethics and refusing to go along with the crowd.