We all know Bill Cosby as comedian and television actor, one that has made a few generations laugh at comedy skits about Moses and the Lord and other humours bits. Earlier this evening, I had the privilege of sitting down with a few friends to watch a movie starring this comedic gentleman, titled "Leonard: Part 6." Well, to begin with, the movie pokes fun at several things, the most obvious and ironic of them being the deconstruction of the iconic "Spy" movie genre, like Samuel Beckett deconstructed the Detective novel and regular story structure in Molloy. The goal of this particular post isn't to compare the two; rather, to divulge in how moronic and absurd the film is as a whole.
So, Bill Cosby's character, Leonard Parker, is a divorced ex-spy now restauranteer who must get back in the game when his ex-wife and daughter's lives are threatened by the evil Medusa Johnson, a vegtarian egotistical broad who tries to take over the state of California, using telepathic control over animals. First off, the movie has no five parts preceding it. The movie randomly has "Part 6" in the title to ensinuate the comedic notion of the film. This messes with your typical fiction series, because you can't really have the sixth segment without any preceding plot points to help viewers along the way. The story is narrated by Parker's faithful servant, who assists his master in every way possible. Also, to inhance the mundance portions of the film, crudely animated bullets and animal movements (Parker rides an ostrich later on in the film) make their way onto the screen, while famous classical pieces, like 1812 Overture, resound in the background. Now, I'd only heard of this film in passing, and for me, the silliest part has to be when Johnson's henchmen get third degree burns when meat patties are placed against their skin, as Parker tries to ward them off during the resurgance to save his ex-wife.
The film was made in 1987, which sounds like such a long time ago, but does a film have to be old in order to fool around with basic plot structure or advancements that border on insane? On IMDB.com, the film scored a 2.1 out of a possible 10 points, but in order to love this movie, as my friends seem to do, you have to be ready for all the Coca-Cola product placement and frogs lifting a full-sized automobile and throwing it into the nearby bay. I give credit to the director for taking a chance with a sure-fire flop, but the more important thing to consider is that fact a movie can just be "Part 6" without any prior engagements is cool, even if it appears to ruin the career of a loved and well-known comedian.
Here's the Youtube link for a sample scene from the beginning of the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD4bk776a-0
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