REVIEWED - THE YES MEN: This nuts-and-bolts (or maybe just nuts) documentary about a group of merry anti-globalisation pranksters doesn't work nearly hard enough at explaining the reasons behind the gang's political stance. The Grand High Wizard of radical chic, Michael Moore, is ushered in to grant his imprimatur, but he doesn't say anything likely to win over any viewers not already committed to the cause.
That said, for those of us uncomfortable with the rampaging irresponsibility of the average multi-national, the Yes Men's routines prove entertaining and ingenious. The boys began their campaign when, after setting up a website spoofing the World Trade Organisation, they received conference invitations from corporate bodies who thought they were the real thing. Wearing neat suits and speaking in eerily reasonable tones, they appear before the enemy and put forward the most extreme arguments - let's recycle human excrement to feed the poor; outsourcing is better value than slavery - without (for the most part) being derided as maniacs or hoaxers.
A particularly good example of their sure touch comes in the speech on slavery, when (shortly before producing an inflatable gold phallus containing surveillance equipment), the fictional Dr Andreas Bichlbauer says, in tones that suggest he is still discussing a live issue, "I myself am an abolitionist". We get the impression that Dr Bichlbauer regards this as a generous concession.
The Yes Men seem to think it significant that nobody at the Finnish conference where they deliver this speech causes a scene. Does this mean these businesspeople secretly yearn for the return of slavery? Perhaps, but it seems more likely that they were just too well mannered to point out that the speakers were fruitcakes.
In fact, none of the audiences behave in ways that suggest the world is being run by Satanists. A class of students actually throws things at the Yes Men during the crap-into-burgers speech. And, when the team announces that, having decided to dedicate itself to the pursuit of human rights, the WTO will disband, a group of Australian businesspeople responds surprisingly favourably. I suspect our heroes desperately wanted to be booed off stage.
