 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Agent Cody Banks
- PG
- Genre: Comedy
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
Teen spy spoof with gadgets, girls is fun for tweens, teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Agent Cody Banks is a James-Bond-like action movie for tweens filled with smash-'em-up cartoon violence, particularly a final sequence that pulls out all the stops -- explosions, electrocutions, jet-ski chases, and more. Other scenes include multiple martial arts fights, wild driving, kids captured and held against their will, and some cartoonish scary villains. Many bad guys' off-camera deaths are a result of the young lead's heroics. Mild, campy sexuality includes some revealing clothing, a comic scene in which the young hero is instructed in ways to attract girls, X-ray vision glimpses of undies, and a few leering males and breast jokes. Occasional potty humor and coarse language ("crap," "screwed"), and twice the hero is asked, "Are you in Special Ed?" -- meant as an insult.
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?
AGENT CODY BANKS seems like a combination of the James Bond movie Dr. No and 2002's Clockstoppers. Kids and teens will enjoy it, but it's not as imaginative and funny as the first two Spy Kids 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 bad guy's arctic 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.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how Agent Cody Banks compares with other spy movies -- both silly and serious ones.
Do you like Freddie Muniz as much in movies as you do on TV?
Have you ever thought about being a spy? Do you think it would be fun? Dangerous? Both?
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AGE
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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AGE
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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Kid, 9 years old
June 25, 2010
AGE
Terrible terrible movie
I thought it was terrible, terrible, and way too scary. I didn't like it at all. It is definitely inappropriate for kids 8 and under, but it would probably be good for 10 and up.
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Kid, 10 years old
February 24, 2010
AGE
Fine for nine.
One scene shows Girl's underwear. And at the end there are many explosions.
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| Topics: | adventures |
| Studio: | MGM/UA |
| Director: | Harald Zwart |
| Cast: | Angie Harmon, Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 14, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | August 5, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | action violence, mild language and some sensual content. |
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