The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) User Reviews

For liberals, they are funny as hell!

[guyfroml · 9/10 · 28 July 2009]

It has been many years since I have laughed so hard and for so long to the point where I risked sending myself into cardiac arrest. Let me say up front I'm a strong conservative and I realize these guys are about as liberal as they come - but at least I give them credit for realizing that humor is the best tool to attack the opposition.

Having been involved in many political campaigns as an analyst, I've often criticized liberals for having an angry and bitter disposition to anyone who thinks differently. I didn't see that in Andy and Mike. They come across as good natured, which as a conservative I can then always respect their opinion - even if I disagree.

Their pranks demonstrate just how gullible many in government and the media are - not to mention plain stupid. Being from Louisiana I can tell you it wasn't a difficult challenge to dupe the likes of a Ray Nagin (mayor of New Orleans) and Kathleen Blanco (at the time governor of Louisiana). But then, the scene where they get a respected businessman into a terrorist protective suit that looks like an obese cockroach with Halliburton stamped on the side takes "pranking" to a new level. Absolutely priceless!

Andy and Mike, I might not agree with your politics, but I love your methodology of promoting your position. I can't wait to see the next pranks you pull.

Reggi, the Candle Man

[Rindiana · 7/10 · 2 October 2009]

The Yes Men are back... and this time, their leftist guerrilla tactics prove much more effective than the first time around: The cinematic presentation is more professional, the pace is much livelier, the pranks are more elaborate and there is more additional background information and emotional resonance.

Still, some of the hoaxes remain childish and some new aspects on globalization bashing would be welcome, but all in all it's more than watchable stuff. (And the final stunt involving a famous newspaper is wonderful.)

7 out of 10 gilded skeletons

HAH!....You've Been Pranked (and I'm loving it)

[druid333-2 · 10/10 · 10 December 2009]

About ten year ago,I had the pleasure of attending an evening of political humour in Hartford,Ct. One of the performances was half of a pair of pranksters known as The Yes Men (both were supposed to be in attendance that night,but only Andy Bichlbaum was present,as Mike Bonnano was home in bed that night,sick with the flu). Andy spoke of their pranks,especially disrupting the W.T.O. conference,posing as the CEO's of a financial firm. He screened a video of the prank. I,suffice it to say,was in awe. Some years later,the first Yes Men film made it's debut,which I was impressed with. Now,some years later, the second film is here. The documentary focuses on some of the pranks that they've pulled since then. Among the standouts,Andy Bichlbaum made an appearance on BBC,posing as a executive from Dow Chemical,making the announcement that Dow is finally taking responsibility for the 1984 Union Carbide chemical lead disaster in Bhopal,India (which of course,never happened,but it did cause Dow to take a major drop in their shareholders on Wall Street),as well as their posing as members of HUD (Housing & Urban Development),appearing in New Orleans,just after Hurricane Katrina,with the promise that HUD was finally going to do something about rebuilding there. Bichlbaum & Bonnano share credit for writing & directing this scathing,but funny documentary about two men who have a penchant for pranking people that they don't like much. Passing resemblance's to the films of Michael Moore,as well as a rather obscure fake documentary (mockumentary?)called 'Czech Dreams' from a few years back will be noticed. Not rated by the MPAA,this film has a rude word or two & some mild adult situations that would probably fly over the heads of children.

Great Look at Business As Usual

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 13 March 2013]

Trouble-making duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events.

These guys take on the disaster at Bhopal, the idea of human candles and discuss the wetlands' effect on Hurricane Katrina. Although they are not always successful (in fact, they seem to persuade almost no one) they are excellent at educating through the argument to absurdity.

These guys are clearly biased. While it is never explicitly stated that they are left or right, it seems pretty clear they tend to favor the liberal view. This may not sit well with some viewers and sit very well with others. I do not know -- clearly if you are pro-business or anti-business, you will look at this differently than others who have no opinion.

Yes, they can !

[bladou · 3 September 2010]

I know, I know, that was a lame review title. Get over it.

I could go on and on about these guys but the simple truth is : they are simply great people. As a regular dude, how many times do you find yourself watching TV filled with stuff you get sick of ? My lucky guess would be plenty and I'd be probably far off.

Those two guys did funny pranks but the most brilliants ones are those you feel deserved by their targets. Some major company loose a ton of money because of a fake statement that would grant due money to workers in India. In the end, they hit where it hurts the most, money.

And the beauty of this film isn't just the pranks, it's why it works in the world we live in. It doesn't mater if they bring a golden skeleton to describe profit over factory workers deaths, you realize that whatever they would bring, someone will be interested as long as it means money.

They might be crazy but the people they meet during fake presentations are sick, and they are powerful people. Thats world business grotesque at it's best for you.

I'd definitively put this on "must watch" list if you happen to wonder our state of evolution sometimes, just to be sure.

While I often do not buy their arguments, these folks are insanely clever.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 5 February 2012]

The basic tenants of The Yes Men are things you need to either accept or reject. Their beliefs are decidedly anti-corporate and feel that much more government regulation is needed. A rather simplistic answer to complex problems if you ask me.

The film consists of two anti-corporate jokesters pulling off hoax after hoax to expose the evils of corporations. The track record of Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum in this film is mixed--some of their hoaxes seem to work and make their points better than others.

Their best hoax and strongest case is their first, as they pose as executives from Dow Chemical/Union-Carbide. In an interview with the BBC, they announced that ALL the assets of Union-Carbide are being liquidated to FINALLY pay off the victims of the Bhopal disaster in India--decades after thousands were killed. It appears that thanks to complicit government officials, the company had paid a pittance to the victims and survivors--and the mess was STILL just sitting there waiting to be cleaned up!! And, according to these pranksters, this was immoral and liquidation was the only solution. This was picked up in the media throughout the world and actually caused Dow Chemical stock to drop temporarily.

Others, such as their attacks on Exxon and Halliburton, while funny, were also a lot less clear. Bonanno and Bichlbaum didn't seem to think they needed to prove these corporate entities were bad or how they were bad--they just were BECAUSE they were huge corporations. But, despite this HUGE problem, their stunts were quite funny--such as the so-called 'Surviva-ball' and candles made out of humans in order to combat the energy crisis! Overall, while I often disagreed with the film, it was clever and took LOTS of effort to pull off these many stunts. This film surely has contributed to the recent Occupy Movement. But what none of these people ever do is point out WHAT needs to be done and HOW. Communism didn't work and Socialist Europe is about to go bankrupt. So what are the solutions? Killing off the corporations certainly isn't the solution and despite decades of government regulation, things are far from perfect. So what do we do next? By the way, these crazy things you see from the film are available from their website--even the Surviva-ball!

Are they left or right?

[stuartmillett · 10/10 · 12 June 2012]

Loved it! Great film where two clever guys go to great lengths to show up nasty big corporations, the reaction of some representatives is truly saddening. They do mention how the government fits into this and how they should help, but overwhelmingly you will see that this so called free trade has a massive human/environmental cost- you will see CEO's, reps and the like laughing over such things on camera. Some may find these parts disgusting. I found this film made me laugh, made me angry and made me sad all at the same time- something i've never experienced before.

What i hated was reading the other user reviews and finding that nearly everyone is talking about left and right, as if nothing else exists. That makes me sad and i'm dam sure it also makes them sad too. Some of you wise old folk need to try for one second to entertain that maybe they aren't right or left, and maybe, just maybe, they believe in something else entirely. The film, though funny, made me a little sad, reading the user reviews afterwards- more so. Shame:(.

Clever but not too funny

[darling137 · 6/10 · 9 August 2010]

Yes Men Fix the World is much less a documentary than it is an attempt at comedy in the spirit of Borat or Dog Bites Man. The two principals are hoaxters who pass themselves off as government or corporate spokesman on television or at conferences, focusing on the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal,India and Hurricane Katrina.

Most of the entertainment comes with the ease at which they are invited to speak publicly, the shock and shtick of their outrageous speech and presentation, and the subsequent discovery of the hoax. They pull off the deception masterfully and, save for the odd inquisitive reporter or genuinely interested attendee, their audiences are either amused, confused or completely uninterested.

What is distracting and ultimately confusing about the film is their modus operandi and their justification for their actions. It is hard to tell if they are carnival barkers just out to make a buck at the expense of unsuspecting corporate types and television anchors or they are genuine activists using this medium to draw attention to causes they think deserve it.

If it is the former, we can credit them for pulling a fast one but the gag from revealing their props and proposals wears off rather quickly. That they only complete four pranks makes for a lot of unfunny filler material. Also, if humor is the intent, it is a very preachy humor in which corporations and, strangely enough, economist Milton Friedman are demonized and simplistic moral outrage is celebrated.

If it is the latter, they seem to be blissfully unaware of the impact (and slight hypocrisy) of raising the hopes of victims of a tragedy in the name of sheer attention. And it may have been inconveniently timed that they chose to focus on Friedman's quotes on crises being the catalyst for change in a year that the White House chief of staff was quoted making the same points.

What we get is a short collection of pranks, not as juvenile as Borat but not as subtle as Dog Bites Man, with some interesting audience reactions and a self-righteous tone ("We didn't lie, we told the truth") If your political views are left of center you most likely enjoy this movie more than center and center-right folks. While Ebert is my only movie review source, given his political views I wasn't too surprised he gave three stars to such a mediocre film.

Funny and Sad

[billcr12 · 8/10 · 5 June 2012]

Two guys, Andy and Mike, go undercover for the greater good of mankind. In the vein of Michael Moore, they expose multinational corporations for the soulless bastards that they are. The best and most imaginative segment is when Andy presents himself as Jude Finisterra, a spokesman for Dow Chemical in a live BBC interview. Dow had just acquired Union Carbide, and "Jude" says that the company is dissolving Union Carbide to provide $12 billion dollars in a fund for the families of those injured or killed in the Bhopal disaster. He also reads a formal apology with acceptance of full responsibility for the accident. The stock plunged until a deal spokesperson corrected the phony information.

Another stunt which fooled the media, including the "fair and balanced" Fox News, where a fake representative from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announcing a reversal of their previous position on global warming. The laughs are for a good cause, so they are worth it. The two are dedicated and funny satirists and the Yes Men is a valuable movie.

I finally woke up to the Truth....Naked Truth

[pcxt · 10/10 · 22 March 2010]

No Spoilers in this Review, because its a Must-watch & worth watching film.

Some people calling the film consists of pranks, hoaxes! Then what u call something like the Great WMDs in Iraq, man landing on Moon!, Stock markets!....

Since a long time I have been following all the GREAT news channels, all their Breaking News etc... In the Hope that may be one day I may be able to hear a GOOD Breaking News.

But, I realized that it will never happen. The Media is a Stage for Jokers called Politicians and all the Hypocrites, to engage the People in their worthless bulletins saying the they will Save Mother Nature, Planet Earth and Make the entire Universe a Great Place to live in with All Smiling faces around!!

People, wake up to Reality.

I watched many Documentaries on Capitalism, Environmental, Political issues & many Conspiracy theories! But, The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) is Above all of them.... Its the Truth.

I was on the edge of my seat watching this film. It is very Informative, thought provoking & Entertaining.

Affirmitive Action

[tieman64 · 16 November 2011]

"The Yes Men" and "The Yes Men Fix The World" are a pair of documentary comedies which follow the exploits of the Yes Men, a group of "culture jammers" who impersonate the identities of those they dislike and engage in "identity correction", a process in which they either behave as the entity really would behave were it not socially bound to maintain some modicum of civility, or behave as the entity would behave were it ethically responsible. In other words, the Yes Men are a group of socially conscious activists who engage in pranks. They con their way into various situations and satirically pretend to be various corporate heads, politicians, bureaucrats and world shakers. Most of their satire flies over the heads of their audiences.

And so the two films find the Yes Men pointing out the unethical practises of Dow Chemical, BP, ExxonMobile, Milton Friedman cultists, the world trade organisation, the New York Times, the US Chamber of Commerce, various environmental bodies, various bastions of commerce, various media corporations, and various bodies responsible for the post hurricane Katrina clean up.

Most of their pranks start with a fake website, such as their mock website of the World Trade Organisation, which despite being ridiculously blunt about the WTO's unethical practises garnered the Yes Men an invitation to speak at an official occasion. Once in, the Yes Men's representatives then caused havoc before unsuspecting audiences. Thanks to global media, their actions were carried out in full public glare. Other Yes Men stunts involve delineating the principles of free trade by taking such principles to their logical conclusions. Elsewhere they put forward arguments for selling votes to the highest corporate bidder, making the poor eat feces to cure endemic hunger and allowing countries to commit human rights abuses with a system of "justice vouchers" modelled after pollution vouchers. Yet, shockingly, the Yes Men's audiences often show little difficulty in accepting the legitimacy of such ideas. At a CPA meeting (a group of accountants), for instance, the Yes Men exploited the credulity of their audiences by recruiting them into the elaborate fiction of a trade organisation governed by grotesque principles. The two films highlight not only how willingly the public accepts unethical behaviour, but how such behaviour, as it is intimately bound with concepts of success, has long been seen as an ideal to be pursued.

Because the Yes Men's cons are difficult to set up and execute, the two documentaries spend most of their time focusing on preparatory work. The actual pranks are few and far between, which will irk those looking for incessant humour. Compared to, say, "Punked", "Borat" or the "Jacka** Movies", these are slow films. Both films also fail to properly/intelligently explore that which the Yes Men rally against.

Interestingly, the Yes Men are shown without familial or romantic relationships. Their private personalities are not delved into and they seem androgynous and almost ascetic. Their first two pranks, we learn, involved inserting homosexual activity into a computer game and inserting masculine, warrior voices into female dolls. Their gender-bending, a kind of monastic selflessness coupled to chameleon like amorphousness, echoes the impersonal flux of global capitalism. In theory, they're a parasite which can permeate any situation and counter-bend as readily as capitalism can. In practise, this is perhaps impossible. Even detrimental to their health.

While some view the Yes Men as a needed, new breed of activism - of spirituality even - most view them as a mild annoyance engaging in futile efforts. For some theorists, culture and counter-culture are barely distinguishable in an all-pervasive, global culture too ready to incorporate the anti-gesture. Culture jamming, some believe, is rapidly losing political force and the capacity to generate new cultural images and values. On the flip side, the force of the Yes Men's prank comedy lies in the fact that it rises above the abstemious moment of critique and the seemingly noble aim of "enlightening people" and in so doing takes us onto another register. In a time in which global capitalism has such a monopoly on what can be thought, their task seems to be that of enabling something genuinely new to be thought. Their whole image is based on a recognition that affirmation, rather than refusal, is a novel political strategy.

8/10 – Worth one viewing.

Ballsy

[view_and_review · 8/10 · 15 September 2021]

"The Yes Men Fix the World." Well... not quite, but they tried. This was a rather bold and highly optimistic title, but it does grab the attention.

The Yes Men are a couple of guys--Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno--who have at the top of their priority list: pointing out corporate greed and its deleterious effects upon the environment and humanity. For this production they go after Dow Chemical, Exxon Mobil, Haliburton, and HUD (yes, the government's own Housing and Urban Development department). They don't go after these companies in the traditional sense with petitions, protests, and litigation, No! They use a more unique headline grabbing tactic known as posing.

They set up fake websites that look like the real deal to pose as the target company. Then, when they get contacted, they offer their services at various speaking engagements. And in the case of Dow Chemical, they were invited by the BBC to give an interview on live television. Then from there they choose what message they want to convey. It's actually quite brilliant and very ballsy. I'm sure they've broken a myriad laws made to protect wealthy companies, but that's probably for their sequel.

The masters of deception

[pbpbhulkinger · 9/10 · 18 April 2017]

The Yes Men have mastered the art of deception: they imitate the dress codes, roles and diction of power so perfectly that they can even speak in the name of major corporations without arousing suspicion (e.g. as in the case of falsified announcements by Dow Chemicals concerning the compensation of the Bhopal victims). It is brilliant to watch.

Hoping for the same old Occupy arguments

[ersbel · 18 December 2015]

When I started watching this movie I said to myself 'Oh, no, another Occupy argument!' And I do not fully agree with their reasoning.

But I loved it! Every minute the film was getting better. At times it might remind you of a Michael Moore feature. But this one is fun. And cleverly done. Now I want to see their other features.

And I guess the appeal is in the position taken. They seem to identify the case quite clearly. But instead of starting to march to impose their point of view "The Yes Men" are doing an art happening through satire. It is for the first time that I see a shift from the mystic-totalitarian stance of "make the government obey ME" to letting people see for themselves. Thank you "The Yes Men" for the new perspective.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch