Kids and adults will be engaged by the action sequences and Bond-like gadgetry. Good performences from the cast. I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact that, for some reason, Angie Harmon's character is dressed in very "cleavage revealing" clothes throughout. There is also a moment when it is implied that her clothing has become see-through. I will never understand why film makers insist on throwing in these small but annoying moments of sexual innuendo into movies aimed at kids. The death scene (of a bad guy) at the end of the movie might be a little graphic for younger kids.
Agent Cody Banks
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Only a kid could love it, but they do.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Agent Cody Banks was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that the movie has violence, including one grisly death by disintegration. Characters use some strong schoolyard language ("screwed up," "play doctor," "Are you in special ed?") and there is a locker room scene in which a woman snatches the towel from a boy's middle and snaps it at another boy's crotch. (The flesh-colored underpants the boy was wearing under the towel are reassuringly evident.) The adult woman spy dresses like a comic book character, but she is strong and capable. The head of the CIA is a black man. There is a joke about using the special x-ray glasses to peek at women's underwear and an adult makes a joke about breasts. It is highly insensitive to have characters use "special ed" as an insult. Most troubling is that one of the young people in the movie is directly responsible for the death of a bad guy -- usually, in movies for this age group, they are careful to have the bad guy killed as the result of his own actions, like falling off a building when he lunges for someone. Some audience members may be upset about this.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about whether they would like to be spies. They might want to check out the CIA's Web site. I like the description of what they are looking for in spy candidates: "an adventurous spirit, a forceful personality, superior intellectual ability, toughness of mind, and a high degree of personal integrity, courage, and love of country. You will need to deal with fast-moving, ambiguous, and unstructured situations that will test your resourcefulness to the utmost."
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Agent Cody Banks
What’s the Story?
Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) plays Cody Banks, a 15-year-old who has been attending a CIA-sponsored summer camp that has given him all the training he needs to be a junior secret agent. But when he gets his first assignment, to get close to Natalie (Hillary Duff, TV's Lizzie McGuire), the daughter of a scientist, it turns out that $10 million of training that covered every detail of combat and espionage left out one detail -- how to talk to girls. So, Cody gets some quick and confusing lessons and then finds himself in a new school, trying to make friends with Natalie. He finally gets the hang of it just in time to save the day when she is kidnapped and taken to that most popular of spy movie destinations, the bad guy's arctic secret lair.
Is It Any Good?
I took four young teenagers to AGENT CODY BANKS and they loved it. But I was not as impressed. The idea is a cute one -- but it was cuter when they did the same thing in two editions of "Spy Kids." This version is mildly enjoyable, but suffers by comparison to those wildly imaginative and funny movies.
Muniz and Duff are always fun to watch and there are some nice stunts, especially a skateboard rescue of a toddler in a runaway car and a snowboard entry into the aforementioned lair. Saturday Night Live's Darryl Hammond is a lot of fun as the equivalent of James Bond's "Q" character, the guy with all the gadgets. Angie Harmon does not have much to do except show up in a series of outfits more appropriate for Spy Barbie. And the movie wastes the time and talents of two of Hollywood's best actors, Martin Donovan and Cynthia Stevenson, as parents of the teens in the lead roles. The story is lifted from a combination of "Dr. No" and the recent (and better) Clockstoppers. The movie won't have much appeal to anyone outside the 10- to 16-year-old demographic it is aimed at, but there are so few movies for that group that it does not seem fair to complain.
Movie Details
Studio: MGM/UA, Director: Harold Zwart
Run time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release: 03/14/2003, DVD release: 08/05/2003
MPAA Rating: PG for action violence, mild language and some sensual content
Run time: 96 minutes
Theatrical release: 03/14/2003, DVD release: 08/05/2003
MPAA Rating: PG for action violence, mild language and some sensual content
Our Members Say
See all 13 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
Good Action Movie With A Few Low Points
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
They were trying too hard
Agent Cody Banks stars Frankie Munaz and Hilary Duff. They were using both of them. The movie did not entertain me. There was one gross part where the dress of a twenty year old went clear, and the actors laughed.... that was strange. I didn`t think it was that good at all.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Stupid
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I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
Stupid, Dumb, I hated it!!!
(see subject.)
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Exciting
I would give it an 8 and a half stars out of 10. If you like excitement, it's probably good for you. It does have violence, but not too much for me. I am eight years old. If you liked Spy Kids, then you will probably like this. Hilary Duff stars in this movie. It's not a nine or a ten because it's not the best movie that I've seen.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Great family movie
I like this movie because the concept is cool. Having a teenage spy is really unique. The violence is there, but the pg rating is accurate. There isn't any blood or anything like that. Cody Banks is an ordinary high schooler that gets called up the the CIA. His job is to get "close" to a girl in order to find information on her father who is being forced to help bad guys. He gets outfitted with a bunch of cool gadgets. Example: sunglasses that can see through certain objects, ipod that has a shooting cable, a watch that electrocutes people, etc. I think this movie is fun for the entire family!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
This movie is awsome!
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
spoiler alert: Hillary kills someone!
The movie was okay up till the end. Then my 2 young kids (7 and 4) saw "nice" Hillary Duff kill the bad guy in a very grisly, vivid manner. This isn't the kind of thing I want my kids to see. Also making fun of someone by saying that they need to be in special ed is more than insensitive and rude.
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
why
ithinked it was mean
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Please gag me. I almost lost my brain watching it...
What a waste of space! This is a really ridiculous movie. It follows a predictable format and has Frankie Muniz acting like an idiot. It isn't funny and there are much better movies to entertain your children with, both from and entertainment and educational standpoint.
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