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Agent Cody Banks

2003, Movie, PG, 96 mins

Agent Cody Banks: Review

AGENT CODY BANKS
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A lighthearted James Bond romp shaken — not stirred — with a healthy dollop of SPY KIDS and a splash of AUSTIN POWERS-style humor for good measure. The concoction doesn't taste like anything special, but a has refreshing hint of sweetness. Teenager Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz, of TV's Malcolm in the Middle) may look like an average, skateboard-proficient 15-year-old, but he's got a secret. The CIA recruited him and trained him at a special summer camp, so now he's got a whole other spy identity that he's forced to hide. Though a highly trained undercover operative, Cody has an Achilles heel — he gets totally tongue-tied when he has to talk to a member of the fair sex. And as luck would have it, his first mission involves befriending the daughter of a well-intentioned scientist who's inadvertently gotten mixed up with an evil organization called E.R.I.S. Naturally, she turns out to be perky, popular Natalie (Hilary Duff, of TV's Lizzie McGuire), the kind of adolescent golden girl who could intimidate a boy with twice Cody's confidence. After a couple of bumbling attempts, Cody's assertive-and-sexy handler, Ronica Miles (Angie Harmon), helps him finagle an invitation to Natalie's birthday party. Unbeknownst to Natalie, her party is a cover for a villainous transaction involving E.R.I.S. head honcho Brinkman (Ian McShane) and his henchman, Molay (Arnold Vosloo); they're plotting to destroy the world with the help of nanobots — tiny automata with the power to devour anything in their way. Cody does his best to foil their plan, but accidentally blows his cover, gets kicked out of the CIA and is left struggling for answers when Natalie is kidnapped. The flashy action scenes and explosions that follow are sure to delight the male "tweens" at whom this film is clearly aimed. The run-of-the-mill villains often seem just plain silly, but otherwise this attempt to create a younger 007 hews to the Bond formula closely — to a fault, in fact. Toned-down sexual innuendos? Check. Fast cars, dress-to-impress wardrobe and a Q-lite (Darrell Hammond) armed with a plethora of gadgets and gizmos? Check. Gratutious product placements galore? Double check. The story is equally unoriginal — the ending will come as no surprise to anyone who's ever seen any spy or action movie. But the young stars have considerable natural chemistry and do their best to make the rehashed material approachable and entertaining while maintaining their kid-friendly images. leave a comment --Angel Cohn
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