Though the role was fairly small, Mechlowicz’s turn as Captain Hook’s loyal henchman Smee was nevertheless memorable enough to land him his first major project a year later in the teen comedy “Eurotrip” (2004) directed by Jeff Schaffer. The premise of the “Eurotrip” revolved around an online friendship between Mechlowicz’s American character, Scotty, and his German pen pal, Mieke, played by Jessica Boehrs. The hook: Scotty thinks that Mieke is a male. When Mieke finds out that Scotty was recently dumped, she offers to arrange a meeting with Scotty in the U.S. to console him, which prompts Scotty to call 'him' a "sick German freak". After telling Mieke off, Scotty discovers his monumental blunder. Realizing that Mieke is, in fact, a stunning young woman, Scotty decides to travel to Germany (accompanied by his three of his best friends) to meet Mieke face-to-face and apologize.
Released in the winter of 2004, “Eurotrip” performed modestly above expectations, grossing nearly $20 million at the box office. Not great, but not bad, either, especially for a low-budget frat house road picture. What was most important, in any case, was that it gave Mechlowicz his first all-important leading role. After shooting wrapped in Prague on Eurotrip, Mechlowicz immediately flew to Portland, Oregon to begin production on the indie film Mean Creek (2004). Acting opposite Rory Culkin, “Mean Creek” marked Mechlowicz’s first foray into drama. His performance as the troubled best friend of Culkin's older brother, who takes Culkin's bullying schoolmate on a camping trip with a secret agenda of revenge, drew tremendous critical praise, and the young actor was quickly considered a potential star on the rise.