Alright, VHS Heaven faithful, gather ‘round the flickering glow of the metaphorical CRT. Tonight, we’re cracking open a tape box that many tried hard to forget, a true video store enigma that promised laughs and thrills from one of the biggest stars on the planet, but delivered… well, something else entirely. Prepare yourselves for the baffling, misguided, yet strangely fascinating 1987 spectacle: Leonard Part 6.
### America's Dad Dons a Tuxedo?
Let's set the scene: it's 1987. Bill Cosby isn't just a star; he's arguably the star. The Cosby Show is dominating television, he's the beloved face of Jell-O Pudding Pops, and his gentle, observational humor is defining family entertainment. So, naturally, the next logical step is… a $24 million James Bond spoof where he plays a retired CIA superspy battling a vegetarian madwoman who uses brainwashed animals for nefarious deeds? The sheer whiplash of that concept is maybe the most successful joke associated with this film. Cosby himself conceived the story and co-wrote the screenplay (with Jonathan Reynolds), aiming for a globetrotting adventure comedy. The title itself, Leonard Part 6, was meant as a gag, implying a rich history of unseen adventures. Sadly, the joke landed with the thud of a dropped VHS cassette.
### When Vegetarian Villains Attack (With Lobsters)
The plot, such as it is, sees Leonard Parker (Bill Cosby) pulled out of his comfortable restaurant-owning retirement by his former CIA boss (Joe Don Baker, looking suitably exasperated). Why? Because the fiendish Medusa Johnson (Gloria Foster, radiating more charisma than the script deserves) is turning cute woodland creatures and assorted fauna into assassins. Yes, you read that right. Leonard must infiltrate her fortress, rescue his estranged wife (Victoria Rowell), reconnect with his daughter, and foil the animal-based world domination plot, all while dodging killer bunnies and weaponized seafood.
Assisting him is his unflappable British butler, Frayn, played by the genuinely brilliant Tom Courtenay. Courtenay, a highly respected actor known for serious dramas like Doctor Zhivago (1965) and The Dresser (1983), gives it his all, delivering lines about attack butterflies with a stiff upper lip that borders on performance art. His presence is one of the film’s central mysteries – was he in on the joke, or just collecting a paycheck with bewildered dignity? Either way, he’s often the most watchable thing on screen.
### "Action" by Way of Absurdity
Okay, let's talk about the action, because this was marketed, in part, as an action-comedy. Remember those gritty, practical stunts we love from 80s classics? The tangible car chases, the impactful squibs? Leonard Part 6 offers… something different. We get Cosby engaging in painfully choreographed "balletic" combat, using exploding pastries as weapons, and riding an ostrich. There's a sequence involving attacking lobsters that feels less like thrilling danger and more like a seafood buffet gone terribly wrong.
The practical effects budget certainly existed – that $24 million wasn't all Cosby's salary – but it seems to have been spent on baffling choices. Instead of intense pyrotechnics, we get poorly composited animal attacks and gadgets that feel more like props from a cancelled children's show. It lacks the visceral punch of its contemporaries; there's no sense of real danger or weight. Directed by Paul Weiland, a British commercials and TV director who later gave us the underwhelming City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994), the film feels visually flat and rhythmically challenged, never finding a consistent comedic or action tone. It lurches between slapstick, spy spoof, and bizarre moments of attempted sincerity without ever settling into a groove.
### The $24 Million Misunderstanding
Here's a killer Retro Fun Fact: Leonard Part 6 was such a disaster that Bill Cosby himself publicly denounced it weeks before it even opened, advising audiences to stay away. He knew. Costing a hefty $24 million (roughly $65 million in today's money), the film crashed and burned at the box office, pulling in a dismal $4.6 million. It swept the Golden Raspberry Awards, winning Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Cosby), and Worst Screenplay. Its failure was immediate, spectacular, and widely publicized, making it an instant punchline.
So why did anyone rent this oddity back in the VCR days? Honestly, probably because of that Cosby name recognition and a potentially intriguing cover box. I vaguely recall seeing it on the shelf at my local 'Video Palace', nestled between actual hits, its very presence a question mark. It represents that gamble we all took renting something unknown based purely on the star power, hoping for hidden gold but sometimes unearthing… well, Leonard Part 6.
### Final Reel
Leonard Part 6 isn't just a bad movie; it's a fascinatingly bad movie. It’s a colossal miscalculation, a vanity project gone spectacularly awry, and a bizarre time capsule of 80s Hollywood excess meeting misplaced star power. There’s almost zero genuine excitement, the jokes consistently misfire, and the plot is nonsensical. Yet, for the dedicated VHS archaeologist or the student of cinematic train wrecks, it holds a certain morbid curiosity. You watch it wondering, "How did this happen?"
VHS Heaven Rating: 2/10
Justification: The rating reflects the film's near-total failure on every level – incoherent plot, abysmal humor, lifeless action, and a squandering of its budget and Tom Courtenay's talent. The two points are awarded purely for its status as a legendary Hollywood flop and the unintentional humor derived from its sheer ineptitude and baffling creative choices.
Final Thought: A cinematic void where laughs and thrills went to die, Leonard Part 6 remains less an action-comedy classic and more a masterclass in how not to make one, forever preserved on those chunky VHS tapes as a testament to misguided ambition. Approach only if your tolerance for cinematic weirdness is exceptionally high.