Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones

(Open Captions - Nov 21, 2:00 show)
Dir: Justin Simms, Canada, 2026, Documentary.
Mark Critch, Andy Jones, Cathy Jones, Robert Joy, Greg Malone, Rick Mercer, Tommy Sexton, Mary Walsh.
These days we might take for granted the genius of a certain group of Newfoundland creatives who emerged in the 1970s to take Canada by storm. This NFB documentary is here to remind us not to. Smash & Grab: The Rebel Lens of Mike Jones goes back to the ‘70s to explore the life of CODCO’s secret weapon: filmmaker Mike Jones (brother to Andy and Cathy), who frequently captured their projects with his camera. Combining rare and unseen footage the film probes the strange genius of these brilliant comic minds. Mike’s family and collaborators reveal his influence through their recollections: from stage shows to the first independent feature film ever produced in Newfoundland, The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood, to how CODCO went off like a bomb on Canadian TV... ‘We went from being the laughingstock of Canada to really making Canada laugh,’ explains Andy. ‘The whole thing started when Mike said, ‘Do you guys want to see what you look like on film?’

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 88 min