Leonard Part 6
Leonard Part 6 is a 1987 American spy parody film directed by Paul Weiland. Bill Cosby not only stars in it, but also produced and wrote the story. The cast also includes Gloria Foster as the villain Medusa Johnson and Joe Don Baker. Filmed in the San Francisco Bay Area, the movie was promoted as the sixth in a supposed Leonard film series, though no earlier films exist.
Plot summary
Leonard Parker is a retired CIA agent who now runs a restaurant. His old boss calls him back to save the world from Medusa Johnson, a villain who brainwashes animals to kill people. Leonard discovers Medusa’s lair at an International Tuna factory, fights vegetarians in bird costumes, and steals her mind-control device. Medusa kidnaps Leonard’s wife Allison and forces the CIA to return the device. To win it back, Leonard uses laboratory rabbits to attack CIA agents, is captured and tortured by lobsters, but frees himself with the lobsters’ claws. With help from a Gypsy who provides “magic meat,” he defeats Medusa’s henchmen, frees the animals, and detonates the base using chemicals. Leonard escapes on an ostrich and, after the chaos, reconciles with Allison at his restaurant.
Reception and impact
Leonard Part 6 is widely regarded as a failure. Critics called it one of the worst films of its era, and Bill Cosby himself later urged people not to waste their money on it. Famous critics such as Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel gave harsh reviews, and others echoed the negative sentiment. As of 2025, it holds a small percentage on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting the poor critical response.
Box office and awards
The film was a box-office flop, earning about $4.6 million against a $24 million budget. It won three Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Cosby), and Worst Screenplay (Cosby and Reynolds). It was also nominated for Worst Supporting Actress (Gloria Foster) and Worst Director (Weiland). Cosby later publicly accepted the Razzies on television, joking about them and claiming they were made of gold and marble at one point.
Legacy
Leonard Part 6 has remained a cautionary tale in discussions of celebrity-led projects that falter. It was released on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2005.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:31 (CET).