The Good

The Bad

I love Bill Cosby. Let me just start off by saying this because to not mention this up front, would probably not help in illuminating why I liked Leonard Pt. 6 so much. I’ll admit that I think this movie is pretty awful. The concept, Bill Cosby as Leonard Parker, a former secret agent turned restauranteur is brought out of retirement to stop the lethal Medusa Johnson from destroying to the world with killer fish, frogs, lobsters, etc. Okay, I think you get the picture. There are other plots within this movie, more human plots that are grounded in reality, but I don’t really want to get into that.

Cosby is Cosby. He is just fun to watch. Whether I am watching his hit TV show, screening his movies or seeing him yell at other African American’s about the state of their “community”, I love him. As funny as he is, as much as people want to joke around about his TV commercials this is a very multifaceted man. Throughout all the laughs one gets the impression that we are dealing with someone who really is no nonsense. I wonder what would happen if he played a role in which he was the bad guy. I am willing to bet he would draw raves.

Leonard Pt. 6 is a fun movie that families of all shapes and sizes can enjoy. It isn’t a great movie, it’s not going to win any awards but it isn’t Pluto Nash either.

Features

No extras came with this DVD. It would have been nice to see something about this movie. A mini documentary on it’s cult following, the idea for the film, how it came into being. I only say this because I remember when this movie was first released. I remembered wondering “If this is Leonard Pt. 6 what about the 5 other movies? Won’t I need to see those in order to understand this?” Just a little something extra for this DVD would have been nice. I mean, if you are going to all the trouble to release it...why not spice things up a tad?

Video

1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. One might think that they may skimp on a film like this, but that has not been the case. The widescreen adds a nice feel to this film, and the picture is quite sharp. The compression looks good and this film actually does not look as dated as I thought it would. For some reason I expected this movie to look cheap, and while there is a comedic element to it it doesn’t look bad. It was capably shot and the comedic moments really do ring true. Bill Cosby is a classic funny man. He has that rare ability to just give you a certain “look” and you know everything that he’s thinking and feeling.

Audio

Dolby Digital - English Dolby Surround. The sound isn’t awesome it just is what it is. I was able to set the levels on my TV early and once I did that everything was left as is. Bill Cosby has such a familiar delivery, such a way with using words to get a point across or make a joke that the comedy becomes heightened both by what we are seeing and hearing. The sound for this movie is well done and like I said, it isn’t like they needed to do anything crazy. I was able to hear everything, all the intended jokes(or what I thought to be jokes) so in this department everything is fine.

Package

Bill Cosby adorns the front cover of Leonard Pt. 6 wearing what looks to be a white space suit. He holds the earth in one hand and he points to it. Under this it reads ”Our World is in Safe Hands”. On the back cover is a shot of an explosion, Cosby dancing and another shot of him wearing a helmet and the white suit. There is a small description of what this movie is about as well as a credit list and some technical specifications. I actually like the way this cover looks. There is something about the way that Cosby looks at you, the way he smiles that knowing smile that really feels nice and familiar. In fact, the cover does a neat little job of recalling a href='/movies/film.php?37' class='film'>Pluto Nash a bit.

Final Word

Leonard Pt. 6 was exactly as I thought it was going to be. When I was younger I didn’t get it so I didn’t see it. Now that I am older, I understand it all to well. I “get” the joke. More to the point, I think I get the idea of what Leonard Pt. 6 is. Released in 1987, it came out at a time when I had much more time on my hands then I do now. I knew nothing about movies. How they got made, why they get made, how they are marketed, etc. In today’s film environment, a movie like Leonard Pt. 6 would never see the light of day. Back then, the idea of what home video could be was only starting to crystallize in the minds of the money people.

I found Leonard Pt. 6 to be enjoyable and highly rewarding. It was fun if for no other reason then to see Bill Cosby at work. He commands the screen, he commands the moment and if the world were ever in serious trouble...he would command the situation!!

Leonard Part 6 was released December 18, 1987.