Hot Coffee

Yes this film covers one side of the tort reform and mandatory arbitration argument. Yes the cases presented have been chosen to ignite a certain emotional response. But is this a bad thing? In a nation where it seems that the people have grown jaded to government actions, it takes a certain amount of emotional stirring to get them off their seat. This film does just that.

Hot Coffee shows us what damage can be done when we listen to PR or shoddy journalism without investigating their claims further. Before watching this film if asked about the leading story, enter McDonald's infamous coffee spill, I would have been right in line with those ready to condemn the clumsy patron. But after being presented with more of the facts from the case I am now appalled at how quickly I jumped on a bandwagon led by ignorance and corporate damage control. Susan Saladoff succeeds in bringing these issues down to a level we can all understand. From what started the drive for tort reform and how it can hurt the victims of these cases, to what measures have been taken by big business to protect their interests, each story presented guides us through the evolution of this process with poignant relevance.

In reference to a previous review I also wanted to clear up that in no way does this film try to pass the buck. No one, including the victims, denies there were things they could have done differently to help prevent these accidents from occurring. What is being found in each of these cases is a consistent amount of gross negligence on the part of the companies involved. None of these examples were the first of their type submitted to the businesses. So how do you get these types of corporations to changed flawed policy? You hit them where it hurts. This is why the jury, not the victim (in this case), sought such high dollar damages, to prevent this sort of accident from occurring again. If you missed that the first time, you might wanna give this documentary another go.

With that said, Hot Coffee is an effective and engaging documentary with a clear message. This viewer came away feeling more empowered, and will think twice next time he signs the dotted line.

This is the "other side" of the McDonalds coffee tale, along with a lot more interesting information on tort reform, the buying of judicial elections, and the signing away of our legal rights without our knowledge. While some may call it slanted to one side, the issues have been fully explored from the opposing view in the media, so I found this perspective very interesting.

Please don't limit yourself to just the coffee issue- this is not what the movie is about. There is a good bit of information packed into a rather short period of time, and while it might be a bit slow paced, it is better viewed completely. If you are interested in how big corporations skew our system in the United States, you will enjoy this film.

An HBO documentary that I had the pleasure of seeing at the Provincetown film festival. It covers the infamous case of the elderly woman who spilled McDonald's coffee on her lap--and sued and won a large amount of money. Everybody thought that was ridiculous--but this doc shows horrific pictures of how badly she was burnt. The poor woman needed skin grafts! McDonalds tried to cover it up though. Then it goes on to show other cases where corporations made critical mistakes and refused to take responsibility for them. There is the woman who was carrying twin babies and was falsely told that each was fine--when it was clear through ultrasound that only one baby was OK--the other was born with severe mental problems. There's the lawyer who looses his seat in a state supreme court because he refuses to side with big business. Then there's the woman who was brutally gang-raped due to the company lying to her and blaming HER for the crime! This documentary had me livid at the end. Some people have said not all the information in this was not true...but there's more than enough in there that IS true to horrify anyone. Maddening but important. I give it a 10.

I wish every American could see this film to understand how their views can be manipulated by high paid corporate lobbyists. It also shows how important our court system is to all of us as long as it is kept clean and independent and not subject to outside influence through the campaign financing process. It is well researched and well produced. I am impressed. I have to commend HBO for this production. It is truly relevant and a great contribution to documentary media. I must say I would not have expected them to support such an insightful production that touches on a topic that exposes some of the worst examples of abuse by corporate America. What Halliburton did to its employee was truly outrageous. You will have to see the film to know what I am talking about.

. . . and ignored them all.

Anyone who actually watched this film would know that the McDonald's case is only the first of several cases discussed in the movie. Anyone who knows about the McDonald's case would know that the injuries suffered by this 79 yr old woman were outrageous. She required skin grafts all over her crotch, most of her buttocks, and much of her upper thighs. She had third degree burns so bad she almost died. This woman was no sleaze, no con artist-- she worked her whole life.

Other reviewers seem to ignore that there has been a concerted movement by Karl Rove and his US Chamber of Commerce pals to stack the deck against individual rights in favor of corporations under the guise of "tort reform" and some of their tactics have been appalling-- and this film discusses that as well.

This film, much like Gasland, tells a story that needs to be told, and it's great that HBO has the kahunas to air it.