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Nick Fraser
Storyville Series Editor
Two contemporary issues that frustrate liberals are the prevalence of fast-food outlets and the continuing outrage of the British libel laws, which stack the odds in favour of the plaintiff, especially when he, she or it is powerful.
Both these preoccupations are neatly brought together in McLibel, a hilarious and engrossing account of the seven years in which McDonald's attempted to extract damages from two penniless London activists.
Great moments in the film include the appearance of McDonald's executives, defending their fare and the bizarre transformation of the protagonists from neophytes into seasoned cross-examiners. The dramatic courtroom reconstructions were filmed by Ken Loach, and are very funny. Call me biased, but I learnt more from this film (and laughed much more) than I did in Super Size Me.
