YMMV / Mean Creek

• Diagnosed by the Audience: George says he has a learning disability and he can't read words right, which hints at dyslexia. He also displays some characteristics of autism.
• Jerkass Woobie:
  • George, a misunderstood kid with a learning disability and no clue how to function socially.
  • Also Marty who has a dead father, a useless mother and a bastard older brother.
• Just Here for Godzilla: There are many who watch this movie simply to see Josh Nichols cursing up a storm.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • For those who're used to Josh Peck's performance in the Nickelodeon TV series Drake & Josh, it's impossible to see George without overlapping him with Josh's character in that one. This leads to many, many bits of unintentional hilarity, such as regarding this film as the grand finale of Drake & Josh, or chattering quotes like "Only one person to blame... MEGAN!".
  • Also, the "bring on the penis" scene being presented completely out of context.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • George's death doesn't cross it, that was just an accident. However Marty crosses it when he makes them bury the body and pretend it never happened as well as threatening them not to come clean. Granted, it was because Marty was scared he and the others would be thrown in prison and that no one would believe them, but still.
  • George also arguably crosses it when he starts taunting Marty about his father's suicide.
• Narm:
  • George's Cluster F-Bomb rant, especially to Drake & Josh fans, may seem extremely over-the-top and hard to take seriously.
  • Borders on Narm Charm for the exact same reasons.
• Nightmare Fuel: George's death is likely to haunt the viewer(s) for a long time, especially with the high levels of natural fears. Seeing him struggling to stay afloat and screaming for help is really jarring to watch, especially since the rest of the kids on the boat just stand there and watch in horror...
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • Josh Peck, very soon to become the funnyman on kids' show Drake & Josh, stars as George. His performance, especially his Cluster F-Bomb rant, can be incredibly jarring to teenagers nowadays.
  • We also get a young Ryan Kelley before he starred in Ben 10: Alien Swarm and Teen Wolf.
• Signature Scene: The scene where George cusses everyone out on the boat.
• Spiritual Successor: Has a strong Stand by Me vibe with the young buddy trip in the majestic outdoors and with Marty going completely postal if someone says a word against his probably mental father.
• Strawman Has a Point: George does have a reason to be annoyed at Sam playing with his video camera, considering how expensive they were in 2004 before smartphones existed. Of course that doesn't justify beating him up.
• Tear Jerker:
  • George's death, especially with Millie's reaction really driving it home.
  • This◊ film poster does a great job at capturing the movie's gloomy, sad mood.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: Despite the young cast, the film is clearly not intended for a young audience as is obvious by the R-rating, frequent profanity and in general family-unfriendly behavior. Despite all this, reports are that it managed to get shown in quite a few high school and even religion classes.

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