| Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum have figured out a way to fight the nefarious forces of globalization that does not involve tossing a brick through a Starbucks window or getting bludgeoned by a riot cop. No, Bonanno and Bichlbaum believe it's sometimes better to make your point by wearing a gold leotard with an inflatable metre-long phallus.
As the principals behind The Yes Men – described as a "genderless, loose-knit association of some 300 imposters worldwide" – they perform elaborate pranks that ridicule the agenda of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other international institutions. Although their efforts haven't exactly brought the masters of our universe to their knees yet, Bonanno and Bichlbaum look like they're having a good time.
A hilarious documentary by the team that created American Movie, The Yes Men highlights Bonanno and Bichlbaum’s finest achievements and details the events leading up to the unveiling of the "Management Leisure Suit" at a textiles convention in Finland. Thanks to their bogus WTO website (http://gatt.org), Mike and Andy intercept invitations and interview requests intended for bona fide WTO officials. Appearing under pseudonyms such as Hank Hardy Unruh and Granwyth Hulatberi, they say absurd things that become eerily plausible when rendered in the slick prattle of corporate PR. In one clip, a Canadian Alliance MP is bamboozled by the WTO's guilt-ridden announcement of its disbandment. At a seminar in Salzburg, Bichlbaum argues that siestas in Spain and long lunches in Italy should be outlawed for contravening standardized business hours. And despite nearly missing their appearance due to confusion over time zones, they triumphantly present their suit to a smattering of confused Finns.
Even though the pranks are more lighthearted than cruel, it's genuinely disturbing to see how much audiences let the Yes Men get away with – even pro-fascist rants are greeted with polite applause. Such is the general response that it's surprising (though somewhat reassuring) when American students vent their disgust at a PowerPoint presentation about recycling human waste as burgers for Third World consumption.
Because the directors don't probe too deeply into the issues at hand or the lives of the pranksters (how their activities are financed is hard to tell), The Yes Men mostly serves as breezy fun. But agitators who want ludicrous new ways to stick it to The Man will find the movie an inspiration. |
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