Review of Leonard Part 6 (1987) by James S — 16 Jun 2011

LEONARD PART 6 has the reputation of being historically bad, fueled by Bill Cosby's disavowal of it--he insisted on picking up the film's Golden Raspberry awards (Worst Picture, Actor, and Screenplay) himself, and appeared on talk shows advising viewers not to see it. But for all that, I have to say. it's not THAT bad. Certainly it isn't GOOD, at least in any generally appreciable way, but it's a less grating experience than, say, YOUR HIGHNESS.

Cosby blamed the film's failure on its director, newcomer Paul Weiland, and Weiland certainly doesn't show any skill in comedic filmmaking. The film is flatly made throughout (it barely rises above TV level), and the pacing, even at a mere 85 minutes, is heavy-footed. But Cosby wrote the story and produced the film, so Weiland is hardly the only guilty party. The script has in its favor a premise absurd enough to make a passable MONTY PYTHON skit: animals are being mind-controlled by a vegetarian terrorist to help her take over the world. At 15 minutes, the idea could have worked decently enough. But as a full-length film it fails, perhaps because it doesn't embrace the absurdity of the idea, trying to be a more conventional spy comedy/star vehicle, and the results are pretty limp.

Jonathan Reynolds wrote the actual script, and to his credit, he provides a couple of lines which, in context, are absurdly amusing, "Mango me!" being my personal favorite. And at the climax, Leonard attacks vegetarian foot-soldiers with burger patties, leaving one of them with a "USDA 100% CHOICE" brand on his chest--I admit, it was kind of funny. But the film rarely lets loose as, say, AIRPLANE! did, leaving us with a film that most of the participants seem embarrassed by, when they should have plunged into it with relish.

Cosby's performance, as superspy Leonard Parker, is unenthusiastic, and one must conclude that, if his lack of zest here wasn't due to his recognition of the film's quality, then it must be because the material just doesn't fit him. But since the film was almost certainly his baby from the beginning, he has only himself to blame. Tom Courtenay, as Leonard's butler Frayn, intermittently relishes the absurd context he is in, such as when he recites for Leonard a long string of inspirational speeches, hamming it up especially when he spoofs John Wayne. It's not really funny, but Courtenay seems to be trying. Gloria Foster, as the vegetarian terrorist Medusa Johnson, seems most to embrace her role (she gets the line "Mango me!" and makes the most of it); it's not a memorable role or anything, but Foster, like Courtenay, seems to be enjoying herself, and she's kind of fun to watch.

Otherwise, the performances are poor. Joe Don Baker, as Leonard's smarmy boss Snyderburn, falls flat; Victoria Rowell, as Leonard's flighty daughter Joan, is tiresome, although there is a mildly funny scene where she appears in a play and strips onstage (no nudity is shown), to the horror of Leonard and her mother, Allison (Pat Colbert). Moses Gunn, sadly, plays Joan's 66-year-old fiancee, Giorgio, who is apparently Italian; Gunn's attempt at an accent is weak, and he seems generally embarrassed by his presence here. Colbert is flat as well, but Anna Levine is mildly amusing as the Albanian mystic Nurse Carvalho, essentially the Q to Leonard's Bond.

The production values are decent, except for some conspicuously shitty special effects (which for all I know may have been intentional). Perhaps that was because the film seems primarily to have been funded by product placement: this is the film with the inexplicable mountain of Lava Soap boxes, with Leonard holding a Coke bottle so the label can be seen, with Leonard defeating the villain by throwing Alka-Seltzers--the label is clearly seen--into her giant chemical vats (every super-villain has them).

LEONARD PART 6 isn't good enough for straight entertainment or bad enough for bad-movie lovers, but curiosity seekers might find some value in the absurd touches, and if one's acceptance of it is based on how it manages to not be as big a piece of shit as on expected it to be, then one must take what one can get. Besides, it has a team of killer frogs bouncing a car into a river. And a vicious rainbow trout. And that's funny.