Frankie Muniz Movies
Child actor Frankie Muniz shot to stardom as the titular genius mired in a family of underachievers in Fox's single-camera smash sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. Able to mix his apple-cheeked features with intelligent acting, Muniz quickly became a darling to some critics. Other critics predicted he would become the Fred Savage of his generation, meaning he would fail to carry his childhood television success into an adult career. Francisco James Muniz IV was born on December 5, 1985, in Ridgewood, NJ. Raised in Knightdale, NC, Muniz found his interest in acting ignited by watching his older sister in a play. He was soon cast as Tiny Tim in a local production of A Christmas Carol, a role he reprised the next two seasons. Productions of The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, and Our Town fleshed out his regional theater resumé. Muniz made his television debut in the made-for-TV movie To Dance With Olivia (1997), starring Lou Gossett Jr. He next appeared in the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of What the Deaf Man Heard (1997). A small role in Lost & Found (1999) led up to the breakthrough that would make him a familiar face in millions of households. Fox premiered Malcolm in the Middle as a mid-season replacement in 2000, and the show was quickly swamped with accolades. Matriarch Jane Kaczmarek may have received the lion's share, but it was Muniz's job to anchor the show with his narration and his central role in many of the dysfunctional, envelope-pushing plots. He was twice nominated for Golden Globes in 2000 and 2001, and was honored with the Hollywood Reporter Young Star Award for his work in the series. Muniz's first starring role on the big screen was as Willie Morris in the family period piece My Dog Skip (2000), released right around the time of the Malcolm pilot. Muniz then contributed a voice to the animal cast of Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). He had a moderate-sized hit with the 2002 release Big Fat Liar, which teamed him with Amanda Bynes as a pair of students seeking revenge on a sleazy movie producer (Paul Giamatti) who steals their idea. He was also part of the ensemble for the 2002 gang film Deuces Wild. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi- 2007
A teenager out of his element makes a shaky transition to adulthood in this bittersweet comedy drama set in the mid-Seventies. Jake (Frankie Muniz) is a seventeen year old growing up in Brooklyn who dreams of some day making his living as a writer. Jake is being raised by his mother Faye (Frances Fisher) in the wake of his parents' divorce, but she decides to send him to Florida to spend some time with his father, a racetrack tout who calls himself Zowie (Harvey Keitel), when she learns she's seriously ill. While traveling to Florida, Jake strikes up a friendship with cheerful stoner Rickie (Ryan Cabrera), who is a student at the same Miami high school Jake will be attending. Rickie invents a wildly colorful history for his new pal, and soon everyone at school is in awe of the party animal with the wealthy father from New York, even though none of what Rickie has told them is true and Jake has trouble keeping track of his new life history. While a few of the girls at school seem to like Jake, his head is turned by Marina (Amber Valletta), a beautiful model he meets when she's doing a photo shoot at the beach. While Mariana is in her early thirties and clearly out of Jake's league, she's charmed by his sweetness and sincerity, and the two strike up a friendship that grows into something much more intimate. Meanwhile, Zowie is in dutch with a handful of loan sharks and trying to end a serious losing streak at the track while wondering what to make of his son, whose career choice doesn't much impress him. My Sexiest Year also stars Haylie Duff, Karolina Kurkova and Daphna Kastner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Harvey Keitel, (more)
A group of teens discover that the next generation of survival horror games are more realistic than they thought when they begin dying in the same manner as their pixilated counterparts in director William Brent Bell's bloody tale of video games gone bad. In the days following the mysterious death of an old friend, a young group of gaming enthusiasts comes into possession of a chillingly realistic game based on the exploits of a 17th century noblewoman who earned the name "The Blood Countess" for her murderous exploits. Their curiosity piqued by the fact that they were obviously not supposed to come into possession of the grisly game, the teens soon give in to temptation and begin doing battle for high score. When the chilling events of the game begin to bleed over into the real world and the real-life deaths of the players begin to mirror the deaths of their in-game characters, the race is on to defeat the murderous Blood Countess and ensure that other curious gamers don't fall into the same deadly trap that they did. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong, (more)
- 2006
- Add Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman to Queue Add Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman to top of Queue
For movie lovers who like to be put right in the middle of all the onscreen action, actors William H. Macy, Frankie Muniz, and Lacey Chabert team up to bring one of the most popular book series ever to the screen with an interactive release that allows viewers to explore the legend of the abominable snowman. Uncle Rudy (Macy) is an adventurer of the highest order, but something has gone horrible wrong during his latest excursion into the Himalayan Mountains, and now it's up to youngsters Benjamin (Muniz), Crista (Chabert), and Marco (Daryl Sabara) to venture into the harsh mountain terrain to save their uncle and find out if there's any truth behind the legend of the yeti. The voyage won't be easy, though, and in order to make it out of the mountains alive the kids will have to navigate thundering avalanches, thwart malevolent poachers, and fend off hungry tigers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A horse of a different pattern becomes a spoiler in a high-stakes race in the family-friendly comedy-drama. Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) is a farmer who once earned his living training racehorses before his wife was killed in an accident while riding, which led him to leave the racing game. Nolan tends to his farm and looks after his daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere) and a large flock of animals, who speak to one another but not to humans. After a traveling circus passes through town, a zebra pony is left behind; Nolan takes in the animal, intending to return it to the circus, but at Channing's insistence they keep the zebra, naming him Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz). Channing loves Stripes, and the zebra is welcomed by the other critters on the farm, including grumpy Shetland pony Tucker (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), slow-moving hound dog Lightning (voiced by Snoop Dogg), a New Jersey-born pelican named Goose (voiced by Joe Pantoliano), skinny-brained rooster Reggie (voiced by Jeff Foxworthy), and deep-thinking goat Franny (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg). Channing discovers that Stripes can outrun nearly any horse around, and Woodzie (M. Emmett Walsh), a local character who has spent years handicapping the ponies, is convinced the zebra would be shoo-in in the Kentucky Open, a prestigious race held at the estate of champion horse breeder Clara Dalrymple (Wendie Malick). Channing believes Stripes can win, but he'll need the help of Nolan, who isn't so sure he's ready to start training again; meanwhile, Stripes gets plenty of advice from the other farm animals about his big step onto the race track. Mandy Moore, David Spade, and Steve Harvey also contribute their voice talents to the picture. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hayden Panettiere, Bruce Greenwood, (more)
- 2004
- PG
- Add Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London to Queue Add Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London to top of Queue
Fifteen-year-old CIA operative Cody Banks (played by Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz) is back in action in this comedy adventure, which sends the youthful secret agent to Old Blighty. Banks returns to Kamp Woody, the CIA training center disguised as a summer camp, where he's given a new partner, the bumbling but sharp-witted Derek (Anthony Anderson), and a new assignment, to track down a sinister double-agent who has made off with an experimental mind-control machine. The villain has made his way to Great Britain, so Banks is enrolled in an upscale private school in England, where he's forced to join the school band despite his lack of musical talent and finds himself working alongside Emily (Hannah Spearritt), a fellow teenage espionage agent. Keith David, Daniel Roebuck, and Cynthia Stevenson all return from the first film, while British filmmaker Kevin Allen takes over as director. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Anthony Anderson, (more)
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. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Hilary Duff, (more)
Former co-stars of the TV sitcom Head of the Class teamed up to write the story and script for this teen comedy. When junior high-school student Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) realizes that his class paper has been ripped off and turned into a hit motion picture called "Big Fat Liar," he takes matters into his own hands. Along with his best friend, Kaylee (Amanda Bynes), Jason travels to Los Angeles, where he intends to confront Hollywood big shot Marty Wolf (Paul Giamatti), the sleazy producer responsible for ripping him off. When he's unable to get Wolf to do the right thing, Jason subjects the showbiz power broker to a series of humiliating pranks and stunts designed to make an honest man out of him. Big Fat Liar co-stars Lee Majors and Amanda Detmer. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, (more)
This gang warfare drama is from director Scott Kalvert, whose previous film was the controversial and violent The Basketball Diaries (1995). In the sweltering summer of 1958, Leon (Stephen Dorff) and Bobby (Brad Renfro) are leaders of the Brooklyn street gang known as the Deuces. When their brother Alley Boy died from an overdose, the two toughs vowed to keep narcotics out of their turf, but now they're being muscled by a new and more powerful gang called the Vipers, fueled by drug money and led by mobster Fritzy Zennetti (Matt Dillon). As a vicious gang war heats up that will determine Brooklyn's future, a romance develops between Bobby and Annie (Fairuza Balk), the leader of a girl gang. Deuces Wild co-stars Frankie Muniz, Balthazar Getty, Max Perlich, Drea de Matteo, Deborah Harry, Vincent Pastore, Joshua Leonard, James Franco, and Johnny Knoxville. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Brad Renfro, (more)
- 2001
Curiously, the "origins" episode of The Fairly OddParents, which shared its half-hour time slot with a brace of other short segments (including "Too Many Timmys" and "The Fairy Flu,") was not originally telecast as the series opener, but instead popped up when the show was eight weeks into its first season! The series' "official" premiere offering consisted of two brief stories: "The Big Problem," in which ten-year-old Timmy Turner prevails upon his zany fairy godparents, Wanda and Cosmo, to transform him into a grownup (with the expected disastrous results); and "Power Mad," wherein Timmy is given a harrowing up-close-and-personal view of his favorite virtual-reality game. Other season one segments include: "Spaced Out," in which Timmy is given a rather unhospitable space alien to play with; "TransParents," the first episode wherein Timmy's hostile teacher Mr. Crocker tumbles to the fairy godparents' existence; "Tiny Timmy," a Fantastic Voyage spoof with Timmy as the shrink-ee; and "Father Time," in which Timmy's foray into the past nearly messes up his chances of ever being born. Wanda and Cosmo are the focus of "Apartnership," which details a serious schism in their long marriage; and "The Zappy," a broad takeoff of glitzy TV awards ceremonies. Also: Timmy's favorite comic book superhero the Crimson Chin (voiced by Jay Leno) suffers a profound loss of self-confidence in "Chin Up!"; Timmy is converted into a canine in "Dog's Day Afternoon"; a world in which everyone looks, acts and thinks alike is conjured up by the godparents in "The Same Game"; and Cosmo strolls over to the Dark Side in "Really Bad Day." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tara Strong, Daran Norris, (more)
The popular memoir by Pulitzer prize-winning author Willie Morris became this family comedy-drama about a boy and his dog. Young Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) is a shy eight-year-old in 1942 Yazoo, MS, who is more comfortable reading than playing sports. A target for local bullies, Willie's only real pal is his older next-door neighbor Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson), once the town's living sports legend and a big brother figure to Willie, an only child. When Dink is shipped overseas for service in World War II, Willie's mother Ellen (Diane Lane) finally forces his gruff father Jack (Kevin Bacon) to allow into the family a pet dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Skip. The smart and playful Skip gets his owner into a series of adventures on the baseball field and with a band of moonshiners, quickly turning Willie into a popular, accepted kid who even wins the affections of the school's prettiest girl, Rivers Applewhite (Caitlin Wachs). In the meantime, Dink returns from war branded a coward for an incident that occurred in combat but finds an unexpected ally in the normally taciturn Jack, a fellow veteran. Harry Connick Jr. narrated as the adult Willie; the role of Skip was played in later scenes by Moose, the pooch star of television's Frasier. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, (more)
Based on a true story, this made-for-cable drama concerns Justin Yoder (Frankie Muniz), a 12-year-old boy who is confined to a wheelchair. Despite his handicap, Justin is an outgoing kid with a sense of humor and a taste for adventure, and his older brother's accomplishments as an award-winning athlete spark his ambition to find a sport in which he can excel. Justin thinks he has found just such an activity in the local soap-box derby competition, but he finds he has to combat red tape and prejudice before he can compete in the race. Produced for The Disney Channel, Miracle in Lane 2 also stars Patrick Lewis, Roger Aaron Brown, and Molly Hagan. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Patrick Levis, (more)
- 1997
- PG
Scripter Robert W. Lenski adapted G.D. Gearino's novel What the Deaf-Mute Heard for this Hallmark Hall of Fame comedy. It was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, by director John Kent Harrison. During the '40s, single mother Helen (Bernadette Peters) boards a bus for Barrington, Georgia, with her 10-year-old son Sammy (Frankie Muniz). She tells him not to say a word. The two are separated when she exits the bus and is carried away, leaving the sleeping Sammy to travel to Barrington by himself. Because Sammy won't speak, bus-station manager Norm assumes he's mute and deaf. Norm gives Sammy a cot in the back of the station, and he's fed by widower Norm's friend Lucille (Judith Ivey), owner of the adjacent cafe.
Years pass, but the grown Sammy (Matthew Modine), working as a handyman, still remains silent. Well-to-do widow Tynan (Claire Bloom) orders him about when she has him clean porch furniture. Her snobbish son Tolliver (Jake Weber), who steals church money, treats Sammy with contempt. Tolliver's sister Tallasse (Anne Bobby) likes Sammy, and she confides in Sammy, thinking he can't hear what she's saying. Her father and Sammy's mother, they learn, both loved the Weill-Gershwin song, My Ship. Throughout Barrington, the locals have learned to trust Sammy, but eventually, joyful junkman Thacker (James Earl Jones) stumbles onto Sammy's secret. Bernadette Peters is heard singing My Ship during the closing credits. What the Deaf Man Heard first aired November 23, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
Years pass, but the grown Sammy (Matthew Modine), working as a handyman, still remains silent. Well-to-do widow Tynan (Claire Bloom) orders him about when she has him clean porch furniture. Her snobbish son Tolliver (Jake Weber), who steals church money, treats Sammy with contempt. Tolliver's sister Tallasse (Anne Bobby) likes Sammy, and she confides in Sammy, thinking he can't hear what she's saying. Her father and Sammy's mother, they learn, both loved the Weill-Gershwin song, My Ship. Throughout Barrington, the locals have learned to trust Sammy, but eventually, joyful junkman Thacker (James Earl Jones) stumbles onto Sammy's secret. Bernadette Peters is heard singing My Ship during the closing credits. What the Deaf Man Heard first aired November 23, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Claire Bloom, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.