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The Yes Men (2004)
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Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:69
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 24, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $151,884
Synopsis: Two average guys who are mistaken for World Trade Organization representatives accept invitations to attend international meetings and make TV appearances on behalf of the U.S. They are the Yes... Two average guys who are mistaken for World Trade Organization representatives accept invitations to attend international meetings and make TV appearances on behalf of the U.S. They are the Yes Men, part of a group of comedians and activists who organize harmless pranks to spark political debate. Here, two members of the group, Andy and Mike, embark on several adventures, all of which are caught on film with utter hilarity, and which show viewers some disturbing realities. The film starts when one of the Yes Men's projects, a fake web site called GATT.org that imitates the WTO site, is taken to be real thing. Though the Yes Men's site parodies the concepts of the WTO in an attempt to voice their opposition to its policies, this detail goes overlooked by certain unscrupulous international organizers. For example, the Yes Men respond with glee to an invitation to attend a textile conference in Finland. They quickly go to work designing a costume for their presentation--a skintight gold bodysuit equipped with an inflatable phallus on which is mounted a TV screen. Hilarious footage of the faked presentation and its content--comparing current third-world labor practices to the slave trade--is simply unbelievable. However, the Yes Men's point is made loud and clear when nobody reacts: if you're the WTO, you can get away with anything. Further hijinks ensue, making THE YES MEN a fabulous, funny, and surprising film. [More]
Starring: Mike Bonanno, Andy Bichlbaum
Starring: Mike Bonanno, Andy Bichlbaum
Director: Chris Smith, Sarah Price, Dan Ollman
Director: Chris Smith, Sarah Price, Dan Ollman
Producer: Chris Smith, Sarah Price
Studio: MGM/UA
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Reviews for The Yes Men
A hilarious subversion of the World Trade Organisation - but better, perhaps, not to entrust such weighty issues to a couple of confidence tricksters.
The filmmakers include some good behind-the-scenes footage ... and have unfettered access, but the movie sometimes feels like one long college fraternity stunt.
You can agree with the snarking, and that the targets are often worthy, yet wish for wittier satire. As edge goes in 2004, this goes in the direction of Johnny Carson skit reruns.
A pedestrian documentary hampered by awkward set-ups and uneven camerawork, patched up with unnecessary filler sequences and title cards.
Suffers because its three directors ... make us watch far too much preparation for the Yes Men stunts, there's far too much exposition about why and what they're doing and too many glitches in the process.
The Yes Men has its moments, but they're too few and far between to make us drop our Palm Pilots and dissolve into continuous laughter.
It's so smirkily inside-baseball it never bothers to make its argument; the film simply proceeds from the assumption that all of us in the audience are in agreement with its point.
Andy and Mike are...nihilists, who...believe in nothing but destruction...That anybody could think what they did in this film might be funny (is) sad.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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