This is one of those movies made for
bleeding-heart liberals who complain when people are “taken advantage”
of by corporations. “The Yes Men Fix the World” was made for hippies,
revolutionaries, college students, and everyone else who hates America.
You know who I’m talking about. In other words, Osama would love this
movie. Do you really want to see a movie that Osama would love? I didn’t think so. Okay,
back to reality, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno actually love America.
They might not love watching Big Business manipulate the free market
system and exploit poor people but they do love America. That’s why
they do what they do. For those unfamiliar with the work of The Yes
Men, here’s a quick description of what they do: they pull off
incredible and hilarious pranks on giant corporations who they deem to
be in need of some humiliation based on their business practices.
Those
who enjoyed “The Yes Men” (2003) will enjoy seeing what the duo have
been up since they took on the World Trade Organization. Following the
release of their first film, Bichlbaum and Bonanno got to work on more
hoaxes—this time, their targets were bigger, more powerful, and more
likely to kill children for profit. Since 2003, The Yes Men have posed
as representatives from companies such as Dow, Exxon, and Halliburton.
Their hijinks have allowed them to appear on the BBC which has a
built-in audience of over 300 million people. They’ve travelled to
India to talk with those affected by the Bhopal gas plant explosion.
They
also spoke at a “Housing Summit” in post-Katrina New Orleans filled
with contractors and a couple politicians (Ray Nagin, Mayor of New
Orleans, and Kathleen Blanco, Governor of Louisiana) who only agreed to
appear when they heard that the HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban
Development) “representative” would be in attendance. Through their
hoaxes, The Yes Men hope to shed light on the evils of corporate
America and convince enough people to pull their heads out of the sand
so that change can be made.
One of the
most inspirational sections of the film follows The Yes Men as they
participate in a culture jamming prank involving The New York Times.
Over 1,000 activists got together and printed out their own version of
The Times—dated July 4, 2009. The faux edition is filled with the
headlines and stories that will hopefully be printed for real six
months after Obama takes office. The front page reads “IRAQ WAR ENDS.”
Other stories report on a Maximum Wage bill passing and an ex-Secretary
apologizing for the W.M.D. scares. The Yes Men and associates are, at
the very least, optimistic. Also, keep an eye out for indie-Goddess
Lili Taylor who makes a cameo during the distribution of the “News We
Hope to Print” edition.
The film follows the
style used in their last release. Hidden camera footage intercuts with
sometimes-humorous segments where the two men pretend to devise their
plans. These fictional “re-enactments” are truly the weakest parts of
the film. “Fix the World” attempts to make the rest of the film as
interesting as the scams The Yes Men pull off. For the most part, they
succeed. Minus the ineffective sections mentioned above, Bichlbaum and
Bonanno have made another funny documentary with some important things
to say.
Blending humor with political
messages seems to have worked for some (did anyone see Variety’s
tribute to John Stewart?) and the filmmakers have combined the two
effectively. Throwing a pie in the face of Big Business looks really
fun. If the current economic downturn didn’t have me hoarding all my
pie, I’d throw one. If The Yes Men have their way, maybe I’ll get to
toss a Key Lime or two on July 4th, 2009?
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