Trust me: do not let the fact that The Yes Men is a documentary keep you away from this funny and interesting film. Sure, it cannot compare to hilarious comedies like this summer’s Wedding Crashers, but I think this documentary can almost reach the greatness of last year’s Supersize Me.
The documentary chronicles the events that result from Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, the “Yes Men,” creating a website parodying the World Trade Organization. Strangely enough, organizations from other countries somehow find the website and contact them to do presentations and interviews. Andy and Mike do not turn the offers down. They attend the lectures impersonating WTO spokesmen. These strange lectures and pranks will keep your attention and cause a roar of laughter.
The first prank they pull is on CNBC in Salzburg, New York, appearing on TV with about three or four others who are not impersonating any organization.
Next they go to Finland to make a presentation at a textile conference and show off their newest invention, the “Employee Visualization Appendage.” This sidesplitting costume shows how ridiculous these two men can get with ideas, and how easily people will listen to those who seem powerful.
When watching the pranks I grew in amazement at how serious most of the people in the audiences were. When the Yes Men delivered their presentations, no one really seemed to question what they were saying.
The Salzburg prank was an exception. They actually brought conflict, and people left in disgust. The Yes Men tried to convince some college students that by feeding Third World countries food after it’s been consumed, the economic situations would improve. The college students did not take the “crap” from the Yes Men and began to throw things at them. It was interesting how Americans disagreed more than people from other countries when the ideas seemed awkward and morally wrong.
Throughout the film, the guys talk with many other people, including the famous filmmaker Michael Moore.
Documentaries, like this one often plant ideas in your mind and make you think more than most movies will. The comical pranks open your eyes to how the WTO seems to slack off in its mission. Watching the Yes Men perform their pranks and watching the people take in the blunt ideas makes the film excellent.
Note: The Yes Men is rated R for language, but there are not so many dirty words that they will take away from the highly amusing entertainment.