The Yes Men Fix the World

Documentary Feature, Special Screenings
D: Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno

Whether they’re in New Orleans masquerading as deputy assistants to the Department of Housing and Urban Development while attending a CNN-covered megaconference on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina or simply pointing out systemic corporate corruption across the board, the Yes Men (Bichlbaum and Bonanno) never take “no” for an answer. Part agitprop culture-jammers, part crusading muckrakers-cum-performance artists, the Yes Men practice exactly what they preach (via “identity correction,” which is a smart way of saying they pretend to be the wealthy and powerful to dethrone those selfsame fatuous scum), even going so far as to print and distribute a faux edition of The New York Times. (“Iraq War Ends” and “Nation Sets Its Sights on Building Sane Economy” were two of the hopeful above-the-fold articles.) Alternating between caustic wit and a genuine belief in the innate humanity of their fellow men – excluding, of course, the Man – this is socially conscious activism taken to a seriously comedic extreme. Eat the rich? Bon appétit!

Wednesday, March 18, 9:30pm, Austin Convention Center; Thursday, March 19, 9pm, Alamo Ritz

This article appears in March 20 • 2009.

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