The Yes Men Fix the World

Institute History

  • 2009 Sundance Film Festival

Description

The Yes Men are back, but no one saw them coming. After their first film, you would think they had blown their cover, but,to the contrary, they have only stepped up their game. If you don’t know them, they’re Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, a pair of notorious troublemakers who sneak into corporate events disguised as captains of industry. Then they use their momentary authority to expose the biggest criminals on the planet. In The Yes Men Fix the World, they’ve set their sights on a plethora of manmade disasters, from profiteering after Hurricane Katrina to the environmental disaster in Bhopal.

Initially their antics come across like adolescent pranks, but after further exploration, you discover that Bichlbaum and Bonanno can actually be considered “inside out activists.” By changing reality—even temporarily—they open your mind to the possible. Sweet dreams for some, a nightmare for corporate Goliaths with skeletons in the closet. When they present what should have been done, you become acutely aware of how easy it would have been to solve the problem in the first place. A film complete with comedic interludes and, yes, an underwater ballet, The Yes Men Fix the World is as entertaining as it is effective. My only fear is that by the time this film premieres at the Festival, the Yes Men could easily be in jail. See this movie now!

— John Cooper

Screening Details

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]