FILM REVIEW: The Yes Men

This engaging documentary film, directed by Chris Smith (American Movie), Dan Ollman and Sarah Price, chronicles the contentious activism of the WTO (world trade organization) by a small group of highly creative and courageous global citizens who impersonate representatives of that organization. From the folks who brought you the BLO (barbie liberation front), that switched the voice-boxes of talking barbie dolls with those from talking gi joe action figures in a holiday "identity liberation" prank, now comes an aggressive, humorous and compassion filled campaign to liberate the WTO from its own "false" identity.

Through the course of this film the issue of the WTO's negative central position with regards to Globalization, the degradation of not only the Third World but the entire world, in its role in squashing democratic and humane dissent to the interests and actions of multinational corporations is quite clearly distilled. Such injustice is put on its head, in the film, in several heartfelt pranks. With the aid of a website that mimics that of the WTO, Mike and Andy (the yes men's frontline players) get invited to appear as representatives of the WTO on CNBC Europe, where they un-spin the usual corporate rhetoric and make no bones about saying that might simply means right when it comes to the WTO, leaving the opposing leftist analyst stunned that they have made his point for him. Subsequently they are invited to a conference in Finland where they premiere a golden suit with an inflatable phallus that would allow managers to view workers on a screen on its head from across the globe and which would therefore allow the manager to maximize their own leisure.

Several other assaults lead up to a conference in Australia where The Yes Men announce the complete and immediate dissolution of the WTO siting a repentant self criticism of the organizations negative influence in the world, adding that the new aim of the organization was to reform using as its basis the United Nations Human Rights Policies.

Highly Recommended.