'Men' goofily targets big business

THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD — ★★1/2 — Documentary feature following two corporate pranksters; not rated, probable R (violence, profanity, slurs); Tower Theatre

The so-called Yes Men are geniuses at self-promotion. And they're even more ingenious when it comes to playing organized, publicized "pranks" on corporate spokesmen, the media and government officials.

But the duo of Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum is not nearly as skillful when it comes to filmmaking.

They co-directed this documentary, which is a sequel to the 2003 art-house hit "The Yes Men."

However, this follow-up is a little more spotty and unfocused than the first film. That we're this interested in their further exploits has more to do with their goofiness than it does with the quality of footage editing, assembly and such.

In "Fix the World," Bonanno and Bichlbaum return to shine a light on corporate misdeeds.

In the first segment, Bichlbaum pretends to be a Dow Chemical spokesman and offers an apology to and a settlement for the victims of a 1984 environmental disaster in Bhopal.

(This "apology" was aired by the BBC, and Dow stocks took a brief but serious hit as a result.)

Arguably the film's best, most effective segment sees Bichlbaum and Bonanno taking aim at the federal government and its response to Hurricane Katrina, as well as those who profited from the resulting cleanup.

Some might argue that the duo's tactics are cruel and dishonest (though a few displaced Katrina victims seen here look pleased just to have someone paying attention to their plight).

And the winking nature of their actions may remind some of the better segments that were seen on the short-lived Michael Moore television program "TV Nation." (The two are certainly less smug and overbearing than Moore can be.)

"The Yes Men Fix the World" is not rated but would probably receive an R for some strong violent imagery (newsreel footage of rioting and social unrest), scattered strong sexual language (profanity and other suggestive talk), derogatory language and slurs, and some brief references to toxic chemicals. Running time: 87 minutes.

e-mail: jeff@desnews.com