Reviews

For Swedish reviews, please visit bigboysgonebananas.se.

24 November 2012, Screen Daily - Review
"Fredrik Gertten’s sobering and insightful Big Boys Gone Bananas!*should be compulsory viewing for any wannabe documentary filmmaker embarking on their investigative opus without a fear in the world."

10 January 2012, Whatnotdoc Blog - Review
"Why You Should Watch: Filmmakers especially should mark this one on their calendars, but the issues of corporate power and influence it deals with makes this relatable to all viewers."

22 January 2012, Indiewire Blog - Review
‎"After coming to Sundance and seeing the Swedish doc Big Boys Gone Bananas* which gives us the positive effect of one man winning against a major global corporation such as Dole, is heartening and hopefully will strenthen all the viewers' resolve to stand up against the Goliaths of the world...as we already are seeing in the Occupy movements and in the Arab Spring revolutions." 

26 January 2012, Gravity was everywhere then - Review
"Needless to say, this film is being screened and hopefully will continue to be screened bringing the issues of both corporate responsibility and the need to fight for documentarian human rights!"

27 January 2012, Civilized disobedience - Review
"BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* is a fun ride, well worth watching. It got a well-deserved standing ovation here at Sundance..."

1 February 2012, Variety - Review
"A David-and Goliath story that delves into corporate scare tactics, legal effrontery, brand protection, media manipulation, online propagandizing and craven behavior."

14 February 2012, Under the radar - Review
"BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* ... offers a sobering lesson to filmmakers who believe that all they need is the moral high ground and a just cause."

11 May 2012, Klymkiw Film Corner - Review & Interview
"Stunning documentary in the tradition of American Paranoid Thrillers of the 70s ..."
"What follows in the film is like some kind of Kafka nightmare through the eyes of a David Lynchian dreamscape. It's unbelievably cruel, nasty and terrifying." 

11 May 2012, Vancouver Desi - Review
"Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten chronicles his heartbreaking, and often funny, battle with Dole in this documentary that gets to the very core of the spin machine, and how it warps all notions of “freedom of speech.” 

23 July 2012, News Blaze - Review
“It's a story of hope that unfortunately has no counterparts that I am aware of in the United States. It's sad that America has to be taught a lesson about free speech by Sweden or anyone else, yet it does provide a sliver of hope”

26 July 2012, New York Times - Review
"A provocative look at what can happen when corporate power takes aim at independent film. (...) With his shaggy, hangdog look and mild, unflappable demeanor, Mr. Gertten easily solicits empathy for his plight. Making no pretense of giving Dole a voice (in fact, a spooky voice recording and a shadowy image are pretty much all we get of this multinational company), he instead questions media alignment behind the food giant. Pointed comments from journalists, spin experts and Mr. Gertten’s stoic colleagues lighten the mood, but there’s no doubt that this director has ended this battle significantly more chastened and exhausted than when he began."

1 August 2012, Hollywood Jesus - Review
“It is important to consider the role of free speech and press in our society. It is also important to remember that freedom can be curtailed in many ways by those who have the power (which often means the money) to stop those who need to be heard. (...) Big Boys Gone Bananas!*  gives us a chance to find a new respect for those who speak up for justice and rights”

3 August 2012, Los Angeles Times - Review
"Big Boys Gone Bananas!*," follows the events of those six months from the point of view of a David facing a lawyered-up Goliath. (...) The film is, however, an eye-opening look at the way the U.S. media fell lockstep behind Dole's claims. (...) Big Boys Gone Bananas!* remains a chilling look at the brave new field of strategic communication, which employs not just marketing experts but covert operatives to protect brands. As one specialist observes, we live in "an era of extreme reputation anxiety."

6 August 2012, Hollywood Progressive - Review
“Big Boys Gone Bananas! is highly dramatic and great fun..with many twists and turns, and far more entertaining than most Hollywood features. The Summer’s Must-See Movie: David Defeats Dole Goliath”

Media links

For Swedish press coverage, please visit bigboysgonebananas.se.

6 January 2012, IndieWire - "Meet the 2012 Sundance Filmmakers"
11 January 2012, edn.dk - "Fredrik Gertten, member of the month"
14 January 2012, Eco localizer - "Help protect free speech by supporting BANANAS!* filmmakers" 
20 January 2012, Filmmaker Magazine - Interview with Fredrik Gertten
20 January 2012, LA Times - "Films to see at Sundance"
21 January 2012, Bambuser - TV: Q&A with Fredrik Gertten after the Sundance premiere
26 January 2012, canada.com - "Have the big boys gone bananas at Sundance?"
26 January 2012, Times Clonist - "Big business gone "bananas"!
27 January 2012, Culturemap, Austin - "Redford is right: Documentaries rule at Sundance"
9 February 2012, The lip TV - TV: Interview with Fredrik Gertten, Ondi Timoner and Morgan Spurloc
25 April 2012, Judy Gombita Blogg - Interview with Fredrik Gertten before the Canadian premiere
28 April, Radio Netherlands Worldwide - RADIO: The State We're In - Interview with Fredrik Gertten
1 May 2012, Charlotte Magazine - "Interview with Fredrik Gertten Has Charlotte Gone Bananas?" 
1 May 2012, BNN Canada - TV Interview with Fredrik Gertten.
2 May 2012, The Current - Radio Interview with Fredrik Gertten.
11 August 2012, The Age - Article in connection to the Australian premiere at Melbourne IFF.