Agent Cody Banks
A teen learns that all the gadgets in the world can't help him overcome his awkwardness around the opposite sex in this big-budget family entertainment. In Agent Cody Banks, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz plays a young man plucked from suburban obscurity to be trained as a CIA super-agent. His mission? Get friendly with his classmate Natalie (played by another teen TV star, Lizzie McGuire's Hilary Duff) so that he can uncover her father's diabolical scheme to create indestructible robots. To compound his problems, Cody also has to deal with the same stresses as any adolescent: nagging parents, insufferable classwork, and a fragile sense of self-esteem. Agent Cody Banks was produced by MGM, not coincidentally the studio responsible for another popular spy franchise, the venerable James Bond series.
Director: Harald Zwart
Starring: Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff, Angie Harmon, Keith David, Cynthia Stevenson
A clever and lively action-adventure with a warm sense of humor and smart dialogue that allows for an affectionate and fleet-footed satire of the classic elements of the Bond franchise.
A high-speed, high-tech kiddie thriller that's kinda cute but sorta relentless.
As thrilling as the adventure sequences might be for kids, the better scenes take place on the high school campus.
The real mission is product placement, of course: The movie seems to be set against the silvery backdrop of the Sharper Image catalog.
This Frankenfilm comes lumbering out of the laboratory of the Danish director Harald Zwart, any trace of personality surgically removed and replaced by a fully road-tested cliché.
Best Performance by a Younger Actor
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2004)
Choice Movie Actor - Comedy
Teen Choice Awards (2003)
Best Family Feature Film - Comedy or Musical
Young Artist Awards (2004)
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