Underplayed Gems

The Yes Men (2003)

The Yes Men poster
Directed by
Chris Smith
Genre
documentary film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 20m
Rated
R
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 105 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

Two activists impersonate WTO officials to pull off elaborate hoaxes that mock corporate power. Their pranks are filmed as they unfold in real business and media settings.

playfulsatiricaldefianteye-openingwryunkemptimprovisationalabsurd

What happens

The Yes Men is a 2003 American documentary film about the early culture jamming exploits of The Yes Men. The film revolves around "The Yes Men" — two anti-globalization activists, under the aliases Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno — who impersonate spokespeople for the WTO and affiliated corporations in order to secretly lampoon and satirize these organizations with elaborate ruses and fraudulent announcements of ridiculous corporate decisions, in front of live, unsuspecting audiences (usually comprising businesspeople, university student bodies, and the press). The film details the two activists' involvement in hoaxes targeting SimCopter, the 2000 G. W. Bush presidential campaign, McDonald's, and, most prominently, the WTO. The film also includes brief interviews with Michael Moore and Greg Palast. The film premiered at the 28th Toronto International Film Festival in 2003. It was also shown as part of a special screening at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. It is followed by a sequel, The Yes Men Fix the World. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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