Yes Men Fix The World

by Nathan Rabin October 8, 2009

Director:

Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno, and Kurt Engfehr

Cast:

Documentary

Rated:

Not Rated

Running time:

87 minutes

Anti-globalization pranksters Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno quiver with contradictions. As provocateurs The Yes Men, Bichlbaum and Bonanno are fearless in how they plan and execute elaborate, inventive pranks. Yet these clammy, anxious lefty wisenheimers seem perpetually coated in flopsweat. If Sacha Baron Cohen has ice water in his veins, The Yes Men appear to have insides of Jell-O. The duo are relentlessly idealistic in their vision of a progressive utopia, yet they traffic in unrelentingly dark, tasteless humor; while preparing for a prank in which they get attendees at a conference to hold candles ostensibly made of human flesh, one of the jokesters quips that their grandfathers would be turning in their mass graves if they could see what they were doing. (Bichlbaum and Engfehr’s grandfathers both died in the Holocaust.)

Chris Smith’s 2003 documentary The Yes Men introduced Bichlbaum and Bonanno to movie audiences. Bichlbaum and Bonanno, along with Kurt Engfehr, take over directing duties for the follow-up, Yes Men Fix The World, which finds the culture-jammers impersonating Dow Chemical and HUD representatives, masterminding a hoax edition of the New York Times, and generally engaging in monkeyshines designed to shame multi-national corporations and government bureaucracies into changing their ways.

Taking not just a page but the entire playbook from the personality-driven, smartass agitprop documentaries of Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock, World piles on ironic public-domain cartoon clips, shameless mugging, condescending narration that reduces complex issues to smug sound bites, and gotcha interviews with pro-capitalist talking heads, including a gentleman who asks that his green-screen backdrop reflect his laissez faire belief that men should be free to pursue their goals without hindrance or government interference. The filmmakers acquiesce by sticking him in front of a homoerotic Tom Of Finland tableau. Actually, that last bit is pretty damn funny but too much of World feels clumsy and self-aggrandizing. Even the pranks that form the meat of the film have lost some of their novelty and freshness. Given the duo’s withering take on capitalism, it’s ironic that their stumbling second feature feels throughout like an infomercial for a shtick whose expiration date is rapidly approaching.

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60 Reasonable Discussions Are Occurring

Why it got a "C"...

dos dod

8 Oct. 2009 | 2:18 PM CDT

No cock suit.

Hide All Replies
- Horsefellow
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 3:30 PM CDT
  
  Tom Pf Finland
  
  fixaoiyour spelaing.!!!
- souse chef
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 3:37 PM CDT
  
  What's wrong with Finnish sputtering? I find it charming. Not as charming as Swedish schmoozing, but then what is?
- Michael Bonanno
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 3:51 PM CDT
  
  For the record I, too thought the first movie was better. But to compare myself and my colleague to Michael Moore? Bob Woodward is more like it, if I may be so bold.
- A BIG JERK
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 5:13 PM CDT
  
  I would not be surprised at all if that was actually him.
- DeadMcMahon
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 7:33 PM CDT
  
  How's that for a pull-quote-
  "I, too, thought the first movie was better"- guy the movie focuses on
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:38 AM CDT
  
  that might actually make me want to see the movie!
  
  i enjoyed the first one quite a bit--this is kinda sad to see that the sequel is i guess treading water or outta ideas....you figure these guys had 5 good years to come up with some sequel ideas.
Reply
Wow

K-Style

8 Oct. 2009 | 2:20 PM CDT

Just wow.

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- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:38 AM CDT
  
  wow spelled backwards is wow!
- binaryZen
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 2:44 PM CDT
  
  In today's internet, the correct way to pseudo-express your awe at awfulness that you lack the ability to articulate is:
  
  WJW
Reply
Is this playing in theaters now?

Pug Fugly

8 Oct. 2009 | 2:43 PM CDT

I saw this on cable (Showtime maybe?) a month or two ago.

What a snoozer. That green-screen bit did make me chuckle though.

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- yeah
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 1:19 AM CDT
  
  I saw it on TV more than a month ago.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:39 AM CDT
  
  you;re a TV!
- Winnebago Man
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 11:28 AM CDT
  
  I saw in on Starz. Watchable, but I would be very unhappy to have devoted a trip to the theater and paid for something so flimsy and slipshod. Very half assed execution, the review is dead on.
Reply
Waitaminute...

Chartex

8 Oct. 2009 | 2:54 PM CDT

...wasn't this on HBO over the summer? Hey, what gives!

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- Harrison Bergeron
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 4:25 PM CDT
  
  No, you're thinking of Oz. It's a different show.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:39 AM CDT
  
  You're Thinking of OZ!
Reply
Best. Culture Jam. Ever.

Mad Mardicus

8 Oct. 2009 | 2:54 PM CDT

I don't know about their movies, but in 2004, they pulled off one of the best corporate depantsings ever. Stick with me: In 1984, a pesticide plant owned by chemical company Union Carbide leaked more than 40 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate gas in Bhopal, India. An estimated 3,000 people were killed almost immediately, and thousands more were left with lifelong illnesses and injuries. Union Carbide refused to take responsibility.

On the 20th anniversary of the event, one of the guys in the Yes Men somehow got his way onto the BBC World News, posing as a spokesman for Dow Chemical, now Union Carbide's parent company. He announced that Dow would finally take responsibility for the spill, and acted deeply apologetic and shamed, befitting a representative of a company that had, you know, accidentally killed thousands of people. The value of Dow’s common shares promptly sunk by $2 billion.

I'm still not sure how Dow managed to spin their way out of that one ("The man who appeared on your show yesterday and said we would finally take responsibility for a lethal environmental catastrophe was not our spokesperson, and we will not be taking any responsibility, whatsoever. Please forget all about this incident"), but this was a brilliant way to bring attention to a tragic industrial disaster that is still being overlooked.

Hide All Replies
- ProfK&G
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 3:13 PM CDT
  
  Holy crap, that is awesome. And completely depressing that it's all fantasy ...
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiWlvBro9eI
- dfmoss
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 4:06 PM CDT
  
  wait, what?
- ProfK&G
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 5:44 PM CDT
  
  Wait what what?
- yeah
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 1:20 AM CDT
  
  It's in this movie.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:40 AM CDT
  
  wait wait wait wait wait the incident was real right?
- Prof K&G
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 1:20 PM CDT
  
  Yes, the incident - through negligence, Dow Chemical (then called Union Carbide) killed and/or maimed over 20,000 people, and suffered nearly no adverse consequences - was real. The apology and vow to make restitution for this crime, as above, was a complete fantasy.
- Gap-Tooth Starey "Hooo!" Guy
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 2:07 PM CDT
  
  You lost me at "Stick with me."
- Red Gorilla
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 5:22 PM CDT
  
  The apology and vow wasn't fantasy - it was a trick pulled off by the guys in this here movie. You can read all about it on the Wikipedia page.
  
  BTW, if case anyone hasn't realized it yet, Dow Chemical / Union Carbide is the most evil (non-military contractor) company in the world. The only justice there could be in this case is nailing the doors shut on their world headquarters and pumping the place full of their own chemicals..
- Bender Bukowski
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 6:03 PM CDT
  
  And in this case, they spent far more on litigation than it would have cost to simply offer compensation, because that would have set a bad precedent.
  
  You would think they would take a cue from the oil companies and occasionally do the right thing, and spin it into a pr initiative to present themselves as a philanthropy. But these guys are pure unadulterated evil, so thats out.
Reply
These guys

A BIG JERK

8 Oct. 2009 | 3:14 PM CDT

Annoy the fuck out of me.

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- A NICE GUY
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 5:44 PM CDT
  
  I think they're pretty cool.
- Bender Bukowski
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 5:53 PM CDT
  
  Its always been a matter of time until they did something that got them famous enough that they cant "perform" any longer due to recognition...success kind of spells doom for them.
  
  It seems that moment is here, which is a shame because the survivaball is easily the dumbest thing they've ever done. Awful way to go out.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:41 AM CDT
  
  its always been a matter of time until the world knew who the fuck the yes men were. (hint: most people still think the yes men is Jim Carrey)
Reply
Tom Pf Finland

cameleopard

8 Oct. 2009 | 3:15 PM CDT

Is that like PF Chang's? That place doesn't seem very homoerotic.

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- Swobovian Wabbit Flu
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 3:43 PM CDT
  
  What happens in Kemijärvi stays in Kemijärvi ...especially at Kaamos. "We were just trying to keep warm," you'll tell your friends in the years to come, but we'll all know better.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:41 AM CDT
  
  they make good movies at least!
  
  maybe they can get Aki Kurismaki to helm their next feature.
  
  God i would love that.
- Prof K&G
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 10:18 AM CDT
  
  Ladies and gentlemen: MBS's 10,000th comment.
- Swobovian Wabbit Flu
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 11:38 AM CDT
  
  ::applause::
  
  All right...which one of you "WHOOO!!"-d? Who was it? Tomorrow is college football day...you get out of here right now. Go on...
  
  Seriously...congrats. Also, congrats a few months ago when your actual 10,000th comment probably occurred, albeit when you weren't logged in.
  
  ::single, partially-deflated balloon falls from trap door in ceiling::
Reply
Men

El Cid

8 Oct. 2009 | 3:42 PM CDT

I read the title as "Yes, Men Fix the World" and assumed it was some sort of Anti-feminist screed.

That would be an interesting documentary to get a wide release.

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- treefingers
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 4:13 PM CDT
  
  There's a comma and an exclamation point missing from this title.
- El Santo
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 6:07 PM CDT
  
  Yes! Men, fix the world.
- Teo Macaroni
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 6:18 PM CDT
  
  No, YOU fix it, Toots.
- Toots & the Maytals
  
  8 Oct. 2009 | 9:26 PM CDT
  
  Pressure drop, you gonna feel it...
- King Shit of Fuck Mountain
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 12:35 AM CDT
  
  Yes men fix! The world,
- kjohnson1585
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:40 AM CDT
  
  Men fix the world.
  
  Women fix the sandwiches?
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:43 AM CDT
  
  Yes! Men Fix? The World$
- binaryZen
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 3:35 PM CDT
  
  No Ma'am!
- teadoust
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 3:39 PM CDT
  
  yes, men, fix, the, world.
Reply
A "C". Really?

Fast Times At Ridgemont Savings Bank

8 Oct. 2009 | 11:38 PM CDT

I guess attempting to change the world just isn't cool in the AV Club book.

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- Legface P Backshot
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:38 AM CDT
  
  I think "attempting the change the world" is cool, but "making laboured, unentertaining films about changing the world" is not cool... I think that's the distinction.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:43 AM CDT
  
  changing the world's for losers.
- teadoust
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 3:36 PM CDT
  
  seems fair enough. rabin suggests that the movie itself kinda sucks. good intentions can only carry a thing so far.
Reply
Hey

Dumbass

9 Oct. 2009 | 7:44 AM CDT

"Taking not just a page but the entire playbook from the personality-driven, smartass agitprop documentaries of Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock"

Did you even watch this movie? That's way off.

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- Oi!
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 7:47 AM CDT
  
  Nathan Rabin likes obscure/garbage pop culture and talking about himself. The larger issues aren't on his radar. Stick to shoe-horning street slang into yr rap record reviews, pal.
- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:44 AM CDT
  
  did you even read Rabin's rap record reviews? that's way off.
Reply
BALLS

Kills Owls Dead

9 Oct. 2009 | 8:29 AM CDT

I've always subscribed to the creed that bravery is knowing that something scares the shit out of you, but doing it anyway. What I like about these guys is that they're all a ball of nerves before executing their stunts, but they suck it up and go through with stuff that 99% of us would never have the balls to do. In my opinion, they have big, giant, stainless steel balls.

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- mbs
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 9:45 AM CDT
  
  ehhhhhhh on the one hand--they're trying to do something
  
  but on the other hand---they are kinda jerky and not nearly as amusing as they thing they are (or as the jerky boys were)
- Broken Face
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 12:18 PM CDT
  
  I thing therefore I am.
- teadoust
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 3:38 PM CDT
  
  nobody is as amusing as they think they are.
  
  (psst! that means YOU, elegant victorian lady!)
- Anonymousetrap
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 6:43 PM CDT
  
  The one thing I like about these guys is that they seem to be less about attacking an amorphous idea of "corporate greed" and more about attacking the psychology of power that makes that greed socially acceptable (and admired). That seems a lot more subtle than Michael Moore's "I'm going to hector you about some bullshit" approach. It's more interesting because the suits implicate themselves.
Reply
i thought

Camaxtli

9 Oct. 2009 | 9:42 AM CDT

the survivaball was damned funny. Someone was walking around in one in Central Park a while back. (Ecofest, it was).

And I have to say I am with Kills Owls Dead. These guys show a lot of balls. And the human fat candles were really pretty good -- as a Jew myself, I think his grandparents would understand. And they'd be shocked not at the trick, but at the complacency of the audience.

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- rusty cajun ron
  
  9 Oct. 2009 | 2:14 PM CDT
  
  Have we learned nothing of crowd behavior? If you pointed to one person to react, they would react as you would think. But since everyone is there, no one speaks. It's a cheap trick.
Reply