Yes Men Fix the World is much less a documentary than it is an attempt at comedy in the spirit of Borat or Dog Bites Man. The two principals are hoaxters who pass themselves off as government or corporate spokesman on television or at conferences, focusing on the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal,India and Hurricane Katrina.Most of the entertainment comes with the ease at which they are invited to speak publicly, the shock and shtick of their outrageous speech and presentation, and the subsequent discovery of the hoax. They pull off the deception masterfully and, save for the odd inquisitive reporter or genuinely interested attendee, their audiences are either amused, confused or completely uninterested.What is distracting and ultimately confusing about the film is their modus operandi and their justification for their actions. It is hard to tell if they are carnival barkers just out to make a buck at the expense of unsuspecting corporate types and television anchors or they are genuine activists using this medium to draw attention to causes they think deserve it.If it is the former, we can credit them for pulling a fast one but the gag from revealing their props and proposals wears off rather quickly. That they only complete four pranks makes for a lot of unfunny filler material. Also, if humor is the intent, it is a very preachy humor in which corporations and, strangely enough, economist Milton Friedman are demonized and simplistic moral outrage is celebrated.If it is the latter, they seem to be blissfully unaware of the impact (and slight hypocrisy) of raising the hopes of victims of a tragedy in the name of sheer attention. And it may have been inconveniently timed that they chose to focus on Friedman's quotes on crises being the catalyst for change in a year that the White House chief of staff was quoted making the same points.What we get is a short collection of pranks, not as juvenile as Borat but not as subtle as Dog Bites Man, with some interesting audience reactions and a self-righteous tone ("We didn't lie, we told the truth") If your political views are left of center you most likely enjoy this movie more than center and center-right folks. While Ebert is my only movie review source, given his political views I wasn't too surprised he gave three stars to such a mediocre film.

No Spoilers in this Review, because its a Must-watch & worth watching film.Some people calling the film consists of pranks, hoaxes! Then what u call something like the Great WMDs in Iraq, man landing on Moon!, Stock markets!....Since a long time I have been following all the GREAT news channels, all their Breaking News etc... In the Hope that may be one day I may be able to hear a GOOD Breaking News.But, I realized that it will never happen. The Media is a Stage for Jokers called Politicians and all the Hypocrites, to engage the People in their worthless bulletins saying the they will Save Mother Nature, Planet Earth and Make the entire Universe a Great Place to live in with All Smiling faces around!! People, wake up to Reality.I watched many Documentaries on Capitalism, Environmental, Political issues & many Conspiracy theories! But, The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) is Above all of them.... Its the Truth.I was on the edge of my seat watching this film. It is very Informative, thought provoking & Entertaining.

About ten year ago,I had the pleasure of attending an evening of political humour in Hartford,Ct. One of the performances was half of a pair of pranksters known as The Yes Men (both were supposed to be in attendance that night,but only Andy Bichlbaum was present,as Mike Bonnano was home in bed that night,sick with the flu). Andy spoke of their pranks,especially disrupting the W.T.O. conference,posing as the CEO's of a financial firm. He screened a video of the prank. I,suffice it to say,was in awe. Some years later,the first Yes Men film made it's debut,which I was impressed with. Now,some years later, the second film is here. The documentary focuses on some of the pranks that they've pulled since then. Among the standouts,Andy Bichlbaum made an appearance on BBC,posing as a executive from Dow Chemical,making the announcement that Dow is finally taking responsibility for the 1984 Union Carbide chemical lead disaster in Bhopal,India (which of course,never happened,but it did cause Dow to take a major drop in their shareholders on Wall Street),as well as their posing as members of HUD (Housing & Urban Development),appearing in New Orleans,just after Hurricane Katrina,with the promise that HUD was finally going to do something about rebuilding there. Bichlbaum & Bonnano share credit for writing & directing this scathing,but funny documentary about two men who have a penchant for pranking people that they don't like much. Passing resemblance's to the films of Michael Moore,as well as a rather obscure fake documentary (mockumentary?)called 'Czech Dreams' from a few years back will be noticed. Not rated by the MPAA,this film has a rude word or two & some mild adult situations that would probably fly over the heads of children.

It has been many years since I have laughed so hard and for so long to the point where I risked sending myself into cardiac arrest. Let me say up front I'm a strong conservative and I realize these guys are about as liberal as they come - but at least I give them credit for realizing that humor is the best tool to attack the opposition.Having been involved in many political campaigns as an analyst, I've often criticized liberals for having an angry and bitter disposition to anyone who thinks differently. I didn't see that in Andy and Mike. They come across as good natured, which as a conservative I can then always respect their opinion - even if I disagree.Their pranks demonstrate just how gullible many in government and the media are - not to mention plain stupid. Being from Louisiana I can tell you it wasn't a difficult challenge to dupe the likes of a Ray Nagin (mayor of New Orleans) and Kathleen Blanco (at the time governor of Louisiana). But then, the scene where they get a respected businessman into a terrorist protective suit that looks like an obese cockroach with Halliburton stamped on the side takes "pranking" to a new level. Absolutely priceless! Andy and Mike, I might not agree with your politics, but I love your methodology of promoting your position. I can't wait to see the next pranks you pull.