You’ve got to like that optimism. Yoda says, “There is no try, do or do not.” Imagine if you will Michael Moore and Sasha Cohen (minus the meaness) teaming up to fix the world. The YES MEN focus on problems that can be fixed, decide what huge corporations should fix them, then, posing as reps, get themselves on the news professing to “do the right thing.”
It’s an alluring scenario with magnetic charm. For instance, regarding a huge chemical plant explosion in India (which caused death or permanent sickness to thousands of residents) YES MEN posing as DOW reps unveil a billion dollar plan to compensate the victims. It aired on BBC.
They have a great amount of audacity. But the doc doesn’t hide their fear, we get to see them sweat before the big hoax.
Then when accused of exacerbating the victims with “false hopes” they fly to India to see if their good intentions were unwisely executed. It’s fun, it’s ballsy, edited with color and humor and hopefully will bring some awareness to the price of greed, and inject some ethics into discussions among the rich and powerful.
I love the “Blue screen scene.” The YES MEN interview pundits in front of a blue screen and then ask them, “What vista would you like to appear behind you in the final production?” The pundits ponder then pose, the earth, space … etc. As if magically, these scenes appear behind them. It’s actually quite beautiful and certainly refreshingly whimsical.
On the negative side. During a rather inconsequential moment in the film a certain hotel brand asks the YES MEN to leave their name out of the production. Then, for no other reason (that I could figure) besides showing their audience what rebels they are -- the YES MEN reveal the name of the hotel. Yes, there’s a slight comedic effect, but worse, it reveals a side of the YES MEN that is not positive, that is not respectful, that is anti-putting-good-into-the-world.
My suggestions: For the next film, include the “good news” that actually is occurring in the world. For example, COFFEERWANDA.com says that 100% of its profits support the people of Rwanda. Of course, this is a small company, but why not take 5 minutes in a feature like this and highlight a bunch of small companies putting the kind of good into the world that the YES MEN profess to want to see more of.
-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --
|