Big Boys Gone Bananas!* focuses primarily on the lawsuit, rather than the subject of worker exploitation or mistreatment that was the focus of
Bananas!*. In June, a scathing review of
Bananas!* appeared on the front page of the
Los Angeles Business Journal. The Los Angeles Film Festival removed the film from the competition and screened it separately as a "case study" rather than a documentary. Many critics saw this procedure as undermining the original documentary's claims. In July 2009, Dole filed a lawsuit for defamation against Gertten, claiming that
Bananas!* did not show that the original lawsuit by the banana workers was thrown out of court: "To screen, promote, and profit from this film, despite the fact that its entire premise has been (judged) a fraud on Dole and California’s courts, is the epitome of reckless and irresponsible conduct." Multiple news organizations reported that entertainment lawyer David Ginsburg submitted a document on Dole's behalf that compared
Bananas!* to
anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda. European channels screened
Big Boys Gone Bananas!* and there was a threatened
boycott of Dole fruits in Sweden. Dole withdrew the suit. Gertten describes the film's themes thus:Today, independent documentary films are more important than ever. These films are the last bastions of truth telling. Traditional media outlets have less money for investigative reporting and many are owned by corporate entities that have an influence on the news and its presentation and distribution. ==Reception==