Bill Cosby plays Leonard Parker, a CIA spy-turned-restaurateur. According to the opening sequence of the movie, the title refers to the idea that this film is actually the sixth installment of a series of films featuring the adventures of Leonard, as parts one through five were locked up in the interests of world security. In actuality, there are no films preceding this one. The theatrical release poster points out that Leonard Parker is, at the time of his reluctant return to action, coping with domestic issues: The film starts with Parker being called out of retirement by his CIA director Snyderburn to save the world from evil vegetarian Medusa Johnson, who brainwashes animals to kill people. The film ends with Leonard infiltrating Johnson's headquarters, fending off the vegetarians with magic meat he received from a Gypsy, freeing the captive animals, and flooding the base using Alka-Seltzer. He escapes by riding an ostrich across the roof; the unlikely steed flies him to the ground.
Cosby says he got the idea for the film from watching Rambo. He said he thought to himself "Man, there's got to be a place for a hero who has to deal with a heavy who's got a bigger gun than he has." Cosby described the lead as a "high-tech comic-book character." He said "I've put stuff in here for the women, I've put stuff in here for the kids." Asked years later about his work on the film, director Paul Weiland recalled:
Reception
The movie received overwhelming negative reviews. When the film was released in 1987, even Cosby himself said that he was so disappointed with it that he publicly advised people not to waste their money on it. Roger Ebert called it "one of the worst movies of the year" and strongly criticized the obvious Coca-Cola product placement, saying that Cosby "ought to be ashamed of himself." Gene Siskel gave the film zero stars out of four, calling it "The year's worst film involving a major star. That's right, it's worse than Ishtar." Variety declared, "Bill Cosby is right to be embarrassed by this dud, but result really can't have come as a total surprise to him since he wrote the story and produced it." Caryn James of The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Cosby and the director, Paul Weiland, were reportedly at odds while filming Leonard Part 6...but there's plenty of blame for them to share. Mr. Weiland's direction, Mr. Cosby's story and Jonathan Reynolds's screenplay seem equally trite." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Leonard Part 6 is a smug, tedious exercise in self-indulgence... There's virtually nothing to laugh at in this film, and too much of everything else." Thomas noted that, although Weiland was the director, "clearly Cosby, as star, producer and idea man, is the auteur here." Rita Kempley of The Washington Post stated: "Cosby looks woebegone all movie long. He knows he's out of his element, a comedian of words in a physical role." Robert Garrett wrote in The Boston Globe, "This Christmas turkey is so dreadful that it must be in the same league as Paul Newman's The Silver Chalice for its power to embarrass its star."
Box office
The movie was a box office flop, and thanks in part to Cosby's advance on the film, it only grossed $4,615,255—a mere fraction of its $24 million budget.
Accolades
The movie won three Golden Raspberry Awards, for Worst Actor, Worst Picture, and Worst Screenplay. It was nominated for two more Razzie Awards, for Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Director. A few weeks after the ceremony, Cosby accepted his three Razzies on Fox's The Late Show. He demanded that the three Razzies he earned be specifically made out of 24 karat gold and Italian marble, which were later paid for by Fox. Cosby later brought the awards with him when he was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, happily displaying them and proclaiming, "I swept the awards!" For the 2005 Razzies, the movie earned a nomination in the Worst "Comedy" of Our First 25 Years category, losing to Gigli. It was also nominated for Worst Picture at the 1987 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.
Home media
Leonard Part 6 was released by Columbia Pictures on DVD, on April 26, 2005.
