Mean Creek

Starring: Josh Peck, Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelly, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan

Directed by: Jacob Estes

RS: 2of 4 Stars

2004 Paramount Classics Drama

"Nobody's got sympathy for guys who throw fat kids in the river," says brutish outing leader Marty (Scott Mechlowicz). The line pegs both the plot and the downfall of this amateurish mash-up of River's Edge and Stand by Me. While youngsters Sam (Rory Culkin) and Millie (Carly Schroeder) project the film's doe-eyed conscience, writer-director Jacob Aaron Estes forgets that it's nearly impossible to build suspense without also building in a few surprises, and sadly there are none to be had.