Big Boys Gone Bananas!*

In this David-vs.-Goliath tale, director Fredrik Gertten casts himself as David (obviously), an indie Swedish filmmaker whose 2009 documentary Bananas!* levied charges against the Dole Food Company for deadly pesticide use in Latin America. The food giant (one of the world's biggest companies) mobilized lawyers, lobbyists, and VPs to quash the film—and, thus, free speech, according to Gertten. Citing deceit on the part of one of the film's key interviewees, Gertten claims that Dole bruised the reputation of Bananas!* in the U.S. media and film festivals, although in Sweden the heavy-handed tactics inspired a backlash across political-party lines, and the film enjoyed a wide Scandinavian release. Big Boys Gone Bananas!* does not—possibly for legal reasons—defend the accuracy of Bananas!*, but instead addresses the immense power of monied multinationals and their armies of attorneys, PR flacks, and bought-off/beaten-down media flunkies to control and spin negative information. Lacking any overt sense of humor (unlike anti-corporate crusaders Morgan Spurlock and Michael Moore), Gertten sometimes comes across like the conceited "artiste" painted by his detractors, bristling at any slight against his masterwork or suggestion that Dole could have a legitimate grievance. Also featuring writer Dan Koeppel (Banana: The Fate of Fruit That Changed the World), this engaging documentary is presented here in both its full-length version and a 56-minute abridgement. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)