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Agent Cody Banks

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Agent Cody Banks
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarald Zwart
Screenplay byScott Alexander
Larry Karaszewski
Zack Stentz
Ashley Edward Miller
Story byJeffrey Jurgensen
Produced byDavid C. Glasser
Andreas Klein
Dylan Sellers
Guy Oseary
David Nicksay
StarringFrankie Muniz
Hilary Duff
Angie Harmon
Keith David
Cynthia Stevenson
Arnold Vosloo
Ian McShane
CinematographyDenis Crossan
Edited byJim Miller
Music byJohn Powell
Production
companies
Splendid Pictures
Maverick Films
Dylan Sellers Productions
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed byMGM Distribution Co. (United States/Canada)
20th Century Fox (International)[1]
Release date
  • March 14, 2003 (2003-03-14)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[2]
Box office$58.8 million[2]

Agent Cody Banks is a 2003 American spy action comedy film directed by Harald Zwart. The film follows the adventures of the 15-year-old title character, played by Frankie Muniz, who has to finish his chores, avoid getting grounded, and save the world by going undercover for the CIA as a James Bond–type superspy. Hilary Duff, Angie Harmon, Keith David, Cynthia Stevenson, Daniel Roebuck, Darrell Hammond, Ian McShane, and Arnold Vosloo co-star. The movie was filmed in British Columbia and was released in the United States on March 14, 2003.

This film was the first major motion picture project for Duff apart from the film spinoff of her Lizzie McGuire TV series, as well as for Harmon, who had just come off a three-year stint as Assistant D.A. Abbie Carmichael on NBC's Law & Order. A sequel was released the following year. The film's executive producers include Madonna (whose then-production company Maverick Films acquired the script) and Jason Alexander (he was originally attached to direct before being replaced by Vic Armstrong, who was ultimately replaced by Zwart).[3]

Plot

Cody Banks, a 15-year-old high school junior, applies for a junior field ops position at the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division after completing a training summer camp. Answering to his handler Agent Ronica Miles, Cody is called upon a mission to find information about a scientist named Dr. Albert Connors. Connors is employed by a SPECTRE type organization named ERIS led by Dr. Brinkman, and his henchman François Molay. As all CIA agents are known to Brinkman's organization, the CIA uses the unknown Banks, who is placed into the prep school of Dr. Connors' daughter Natalie, the William Donovan Institute.

Cody soon finds he has no social skill with girls and has no time to do this while balancing his chores and homework. The CIA decides to help by doing his chores and homework, trying to build his status, and going into the school to set him up with Natalie. The CIA also assemble a varying team of "experts" to train Cody into how to talk to girls, and issue him with a variety of gadgets with various functions.

Eventually, Cody befriends and falls in love with Natalie after rescuing her from a falling a ladder while putting up a banner, and he is invited to her 16th birthday party, where he goes undercover to her father's lab. Cody finds that Brinkman plans to use nanobots — which can destroy any carbon or silicon-based substance — to destroy the world's defense systems so he can threaten anyone who opposes him. Since the nanobots are inactive in the cold, he plans to use ice cubes to distribute them. After Connors, Brinkman, and François leave the lab, Cody tries taking one of the ice cubes, but melts when in his possession.

After Cody fights some delinquents at the party, the CIA suspends him from the mission. Meanwhile, with Connors refusing to aid him in his plans, Brinkman has François and his henchmen bring Natalie into his base in the Cascade Mountains. Meanwhile, Cody, disobeying orders to avoid Natalie, eats ice cream at a local restaurant with her. Cody attempts to explain things to Natalie but François and a group of henchmen ambush Cody and and abduct Natalie.

With Cody removed from the mission, he gives his brother Alex the $5,000 from the CIA in exchange for keeping his disappearance a secret. Knowing Natalie's location via a tracking device in a necklace he gave her as a birthday present, Cody travels to the mountains using a a rocket powered snowboard and other devices. After being discovered by Monica, Cody persuades her to help him rescue Natalie the pair infiltrate the laboratory and Cody rescues Natalie, also explaining the truth about why he went out with her.

However, Dr. Brinkman helds Natalie hostage and puts an ice cube with a nanobot inside on her forehead to make her father program the system. Cody activates a series of explosive charges he and Ronica planted throughout the base, and in the ensuing battle, Ronica fights off several of Brinkman's men, and Natalie places the ice cube with the nanobots into his mouth, causing the nanobots to devour him from the inside out. Cody later defeats François and sends him to the CIA using the SoloTrek XFV, before fleeing the exploding facility with Ronica, Natalie and Dr. Connors. The CIA welcomes Cody back to the team and congratulates him for completing the mission, and Cody and Natalie start a relationship.

Cast

Production

For his participation in the film, Frankie Muniz was paid $2 million, the highest paid to a child actor at that point since Macaulay Culkin.[4] Agent Cody Banks was developed as part of a broader strategy by MGM to make less-expensive films that can appeal to younger and niche audiences.[5] Both Muniz and Angie Harmon did most of their own stunts for the film.[6] The film used Media.net’s Edit System Dailies to transfer pre-digitized Avid system files from the post production facility Rainmaker in Vancouver directly to the pic’s editing rooms in Los Angeles without having to wait for tapes to be delivered, allowing producers and executives to receive their viewing copies half a day sooner than through the traditional method.[7] Principal photography took place in 2002 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Reception

The film received generally mixed reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 38% "Rotten" approval rating with an average rating of 5.2/10, based on 104 reviews. The critics consensus states, "Should satisfy young teens, but offers nothing new for those who are familiar with the formula."[8] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[10] Roger Ebert gave the film 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.

Agent Cody Banks opened at #2 with $14,064,317 behind Bringing Down the House's second weekend.[11] By the time the film closed on July 31, 2003, the film had earned $47,938,330 domestically and an additional $10,857,484 internationally, adding up to a total $58,795,814.[12]

Controversy

When the film was released on home video, MGM included an apologetic paragraph in response to a throwaway line involving "Special ed". The furor erupted over an almost throwaway line in the film, at the end of the testy first meeting between the film’s protagonist, played by Frankie Muniz, and his love interest, played by Hilary Duff. After Muniz’s character stumbles through several inane questions, Duff’s character barks, “Do you by any chance, happen to be in special ed?” and stomps off.

Regarding the references to special ed in the movie, we in no way meant to be insensitive to kids with special educational needs. Rather, it was meant to show how cruel kids can be to one another. As you have seen, Cody overcomes his own speech problems and saves the day. Thank you to those who brought this to our attention. We will be mindful of it in the sequel.”[13]

Sequel

Main article: Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London

Muniz reprised his title role in the sequel, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, was released on March 12, 2004. Duff and Angie Harmon were replaced by different characters played by Anthony Anderson and Hannah Spearritt.

References

  1. ^ "Agent Cody Banks (2003)". BBFC. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Agent Cody Banks (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2012-07-25. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  3. ^ Agent Cody Banks: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack liner notes, Daniel Schweiger - Intrada Records
  4. ^ "MGM 'Banks' on Harmon". 29 May 2002. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ^ "'Banks 2' suffers helmer withdrawl [sic]". 24 April 2003. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Money in the 'Banks'". 11 March 2003. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Media.net spies Lion's 'Agent'". 25 June 2002. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Agent Cody Banks". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "Agent Cody Banks Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "Home". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  11. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for March 14-16, 2003". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  12. ^ "Agent Cody Banks (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  13. ^ "Inside Move: 'Cody' DVD a sensitive effort". 15 July 2003. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
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