True/False Films

The Yes Men Fix The World

In person: directors and subjects Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno

Spoiler alert: the world's still broken. But don't blame the Yes Men, whose toolbox includes media hoaxes, corporate interventions and tricksterism of the most amusing anti-establishment kind. The Y-Men steal the podium to advise corporate execs how to squeeze every drop of productivity from their workers; apologize, on the BBC, on behalf of Dow Chemical for poisoning tens of thousands of residents of Bhopal, India; and create a not-completely-wishful thinking fake New York Times from the future that celebrates our progress in making peace, healing the environment and addressing social inequities. Directed by Yes Men Mike Bonano and Andy Bichlbaum, with Kurt Engfehr, this stylish, fast-paced doc — a follow-up to T-F's 2003 closing night film — simultaneously serves as celebration of engaged citizenship, survey of corporate greed and a comedy of the most progressive kind. So these spiritual godchildren of Abbie Hoffman didn't actually repair our damaged, profit-driven, unsustainable society in these 90 minutes? For once, we really need a sequel. (JS)