Details
- Title
- The Yes Men
- Director
- Dan Ollman, Sarah Price, Chris Smith
- Length
- 96 min.
- Released
- 2004
Review
This genuinely inspired (and inspiring) documentary follows a handful of Markoff Cheney-esque pranksters as they impersonate representatives of the World Trade Organization for a series of conferences around the world. It started with a parody website (www.gatt.org). Which people mistook for the real thing. So they started getting invitations. So they bought some cheap suits and hit the road.
Footage of Andy and Mike being interviewed as a handful of absurd aliases (Granwyth Halutberi) on British economics news is absolutely priceless. They give a presentation to a conference of textiles corporates about how sending factories to developing countries is cheaper than slavery that ends with a gold spandex suit with a giant inflatable penis. Everyone takes this perfectly straightfaced. Their position of authority is never questioned. At an Australian agribusiness conference they announce that the dissolution of the WTO. Interviews with conference attendees who say they hadn't expected this, but maybe it's for the best.
The film is put together by Chris Smith, Sarah Price (American Movie) and Dan Ollman. One gets the feeling a lot of the film is generated by hidden pocket cameras and so forth. It's funny enough that ultimately the politics don't matter, the point is to cut down positions of authority.
Visit www.rtmark.com to learn more about this and other related projects.
- Rating
- 4/8
- Reviewer
- Pat Jackson
- Published