Frances McDormandhas done it all during her 22-plus year action career. She’s been recorded in color and black and white film. McDormand lived off the grid, designed high-end clothes, produced rock music, and was duped by a youngEdward Norton. McDormand’s career is vast and varied, with a filmography to prove it.
Beginning her career in 1982, she received her first role in 1984 (Blood Simple); however, it was her portrayal as Mrs. Pell in the Civil Rights dramaMississippi Burningthat served as her career breakout, getting an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. From there, she’s starred in numerous classics, from 1996’sFargoto 2022’sWomen Talking. To date,she’s been nominated for eight Academy Awards, taking home four of them (three for Best Actress, one for Producer), an Emmy Award for HBO’sOlive Kitteridgeas the title character, and a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway playGood People. In short, she’s done it all, and does so with style and substance. Using theLetterboxdrankings, here are McDormand’s 10 best movies.
10’Raising Arizona' (1987)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.85
Former Yale School of Drama friend and roommateHolly Hunterwas reunited with McDormand for a few minutes intheCoen Brother’scult classic,Raising Arizona. The hilarious dark comedy centered around the abduction of an infant by former convict H.I. (Nicolas Cage) and his barren wife, corrections officer Ed (Hunter), from a family who had “more than they could handle,” having just birthed multiples. As Dot, an unhinged friend of Ed’s, McDormand inserts herself into their home and her business, offering brazen parenting directives despite visible evidence of parental deficiency on her part.
Armed with a prosthetic bosom and a wild-eyed, bulldozing energy, McDormand doesn’t deliver lines; shewieldsthem at anyone in her immediate vicinity. Dot is more like an exclamation point, and McDormand’s success with this character has been measured by her ability to take an impossibly brief role and commit it to the memory of every viewer. Even childless audience members could feel the grip of anxiety while Dot excitedly threatened H.I., offering horrific sudden death scenarios alongside a list of required baby vaccines. McDormand’s Dot belongs on the reel of cinematic legends.
Raising Arizona
When a childless couple–an ex-con and an ex-cop–decide to help themselves to one of another family’s quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.
Watch on Hulu
9’Mississippi Burning' (1988)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.87
In June 1964, three civil rights campaigners traveled to Philadelphia, Mississippi, to organize a voter registry for African Americans. They were pulled over for speeding by a deputy sheriff, held in custody for nearly eight hours, then escorted out of town. Following an anonymous tip, the bodies of the men, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, were found murdered a little over a month later, a few miles from where they had been arrested. The movie adaptation of these events was loosely translated onto the screen by directorAlan Parker,resulting in positive critical reviews for the acting, music, and cinematography but an equally negative response for ample artistic liberties and embellishments.
Gene HackmanandWillem Dafoereceived top billing for the movie as FBI agents Anderson and Ward investigating the murders, each adopting disparate techniques and temperaments during their inquiries. McDormand stood out for her thoughtful metamorphosis as the wife of racist Sheriff Pell (Brad Dourif), confronted by her cloak of ignorance and discrimination. As a woman under the thumb of abusive and authoritative figures throughout her life, Ms. Pell’s truth was whatever she was told to believe. McDormand’s quiet path to a new perspective ushered Pell into a horrifying but necessary awareness.
Mississippi Burning
Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe star as FBI agents navigating a volatile environment in Mississippi during the height of the civil rights movement. Their investigation into the disappearance of civil rights workers exposes a web of racism, corruption, and violence, challenging them to seek justice in the face of relentless adversity.
Watch on Prime
8’The Man Who Wasn’t There' (2001)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.90
In their beautifully understated black and white film noir,The Man Who Wasn’t There, The Coen Brothers enlistedBilly Bob Thorntonas the title character, a forgettable barber, Ed Crane, and McDormand as his cheating wife, Doris.James Gandolfini(suspiciouslyreminiscent of his iconic character Tony Soprano) plays her lover, whileTony Shalhoub,Scarlett Johansson, andRichard Jenkinsoffer impressive support. The movie is as underrated as McDormand’s performance.
Ed Crane doesn’t say much – he “cuts the hair.” In the absence of his dialogue, Doris fills the space with her thoughts, often laced with the influence of a cocktail. In her self-importance and underestimation of Ed, she unwittingly seals her fate. McDormand deftly provides layers to Doris as she filters through boredom, thinly veiled contempt, and ultimately, awe upon finallyseeingEd. In a movie devoid of color, she still shines.
The Man Who Wasn’t There
A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife’s boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.
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7’Isle of Dogs' (2018)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.95
McDormand is a favorite ofWes Anderson, appearing in several of his films. After the success of his first stop-motion animation film,The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Anderson went on to directIsle of Dogs, which was set in the fictional city of Megasaki, in Japan. In the movie, dogs are responsible for canine flu and have been exiled to an island reserved for garbage. To find his dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber), young Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), the ward and nephew of the Mayor (Kunichi Numora), who exiled all dogs, travels to Trash Island.
The inhabitants of Megasaki speak Japanese and are not subtitled for audiences, prompting Anderson to cast McDormand as Interpreter Nelson. She relays translations of breaking news delivered by Megasaki Mayor Kobayashi, and struggles to remain neutral through his anti-dog decrees. As a reporter, she dutifully informs, but her emotions cannot be contained as an animal lover. Through the problematic perseverance of exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig), cures are discovered and harmony restored.McDormand serves as the gatekeeper of goodnews through her stop-action mediator avatar.
Isle of Dogs
Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his lost dog.
Watch on Disney+
6’Blood Simple' (1984)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.91
There is an uncanny parallel between McDormand’s roles inBlood SimpleandThe Tragedy of McBeth: she is inextricably linked to characters whose greed leads to murder and madness. In an introduction to McDormand and the Coen Brothers,Blood Simpleseeped into audiences' skinin the Texas moonlight, much like the endless bloodstains pooling and growing throughout the film. Miscommunication and misdirection create mass hysteria among the scorned husband (Dan Hadeya), his adulterous wife Abby (McDormand), her lover (John Getz), and a hired gun in a persistent yellow suit (M. Emmet Walsh).
In her first appearance on film, McDormand, having previously only worked on the stage, approached the role of Abby with a tentative restraint. This stylistic choice made Abby more deliberate in her movement, subsequently making audiences more attentive. McDormand has said that some of Abby’s reactions were based on the moment’s reality; she was petrified during the filming process. Guided with care by the writer/director pair of brothers, she would be celebrated for this debut and her singular approach to character analysis, becoming synonymous with the Coen Brothers' brand of moviemaking.
Blood Simple
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Watch on Max
5’Moonrise Kingdom' (2012)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.01
Set on a magical island born from Wes Anderson’s brain,Moonrise Kingdomis a movie about two teenage pen pals, Suzy (Kara Hayward) and Sam (Jared Gilman), who work together to orchestrate an escape from their respective lives. Adults on the island organize in an attempt to locate the teen runaways. Local police Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), Scoutmaster Ward (Edward Norton), his fellow scouts, andTilda Swinton, known only as “Social Services,” form a search posse. This is one of the more Wes Anderson-y films of Anderson’s, complete with the use of a lighthouse as a single-family home.
Playing the wife of Walt Bishop (Bill Murray) and mother of angsty teen Suzy, McDormand, as Mrs. Bishop uses a bullhorn to amplify her parental statements throughout their lighthouse, punctuating the “Q” in quirk. Historically, McDormand’s parenting roles have been distinct and memorable: lethargic, abrasive (and hilarious) mother Jane inFriends With Money, helicopter mom Elaine inAlmost Famous, the entirely hands-off parent Dot inRaising Arizona, and her “cool mom” peer with questionable boundaries Jane, inLaurel Canyon, are unforgettable lessons in movie motherhood. InMoonrise Kingdom, she does precisely what mothers of teens do; she’s available when needed, and she’s never needed when available.
Moonrise Kingdom
In a quaint coastal town, a pair of young lovers flee their oppressive family lives, sparking a local search that draws the community into a bizarre adventure. As the townsfolk confront their own issues, the children’s innocent escape brings about unexpected consequences and revelations.
Watch on Apple TV+
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4’Almost Famous' (2000)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.02
Cameron Crowewrote and directed the movieAlmost Famousabout his experience as a teenage journalist writing forRolling Stonemagazine. Loosely based on Crowe, William (Patrick Fugit), a child prodigy allowed to skip grades in school, was the son of an overbearing single mother, Elaine (McDormand). She imposed an umbrella ban on pop culture in the home – especially rock music, which led to young William’s rabid curiosity and emersion. He channeled his prodigal gifts into music journalism, touring with a fictional rock band, Stillwater, in an impossible tale if it hadn’t been based on actual events.
For her efforts as Elaine, McDormand was again recognized at the 73rd Academy Awards and nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She was nominated alongside fellow cast memberKate Hudson, who played songstress Penny Lane in the film. McDormand invited audiences to witness the exhaustive weight of responsibility required to parent an enthusiastic, altruistic teenager in the 70s while grappling with practical future career expectations and providing support in the interim: the child-raising trifecta. McDormand does it all.
Almost Famous
Watch on Showtime
3’Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' (2017)
In thisMartin McDonagh-directed drama, McDormand plays the mother of a murdered teenage girl in a small town. In a crusade for vigilante justice (her daughter’s killer has not been captured), Mildred (McDormand) taunts the local police department relentlessly, often at a high personal cost.Woody Harrelsonplays Chief Willoughby, andSam Rockwellplays Officer Dixon, both of whom are ethically problematic and complex yet often reduced to tropes. The critical division surrounding the movie is reason enough to give it a look, but McDormand’s performance permeates.
Despite many heavy-handed plot devices, underdeveloped peripheral characters, and general unchecked chaos, McDormand creates sympathy for a woman so shortsighted by rage that she begins to resemble the people she rages against. Mildred, clad in a denim jumpsuit and headscarf, appears battle-ready in each scene, only revealing softness and humanity in moments of rare clarity. She is deeply flawed and reckless, but McDormand’s skill convinces viewers not to give up on her. Her work as Mildred earned McDormand a second Academy Award, providing further evidence of her command on the screen.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit.
2’Short Cuts' (1993)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.08
Robert Altmanmade movies about the human experience, from breakdown to the banal. InShort Cuts, he followed the lives of over twenty characters, attempting to adapt nine Raymond Carver short stories. He implemented a blended cast featuring famous musicians likeTom WaitsandHuey Lewisand in-demand actors of the 90s likeMadeline StoweandMatthew Modine. McDormand plays Betty Weathers, who is having an affair with a married pilot, Gene (self-assured cool guyTim Robbins), amid a bitter divorce from her husband, Stormy (Peter Gallagher). Each story, unfolding over three hours, reveals a connection.
As McDormand’s career careened towards success, she caught the eye of film auteur Altman, propelling her higher into the serious film actor stratosphere. The director sought to record the truth, often asking the actors to play the scene as if it were unfolding in nature. InShort Cuts, this resulted in a cinematic bum scratch from McDormand and on-screen chemistry (love or loathing) with Gallagher and Robbins that was hard to fake. The pairing of Altman and McDormand was a gift of destiny, as honesty and genuine accessibility radiate in her performances; the essence of what Altman expected from an actor.
Buy on Criterion
1’Fargo' (1996)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.23
FromCarter Burwell’s stunning score in the opening sequence to the dark comedy sprinkled throughout the bloody, snow-covered landscape like a salty elixir,Fargois the Coen Brothers' Paul Bunyan. Using their now-classic formula (desperate people(s) need money + a foiled ransom or blackmail = miscommunication and death/chaos), the stellar cast, Oscar-winning screenplay, music, and location resulted in a triumphant winter cocktail. Featuring memorable turns byWilliam H. MacyandSteve Buscemi,the movie’s achievements germinated an FX series,Fargo,keeping with the movie’s themes but adding new storylines and characters each season.
The Coen Brothers have been repeatedly praised for their kidnapping caper, and one of the leading proponents of the film’s success is McDormand’s beloved Brainerd Police Chief, Marge Gunderson, who is great with child and good at her job. In 1996, as the pit orchestra began to play the unmistakable notes in Burwell’s iconic theme, “Fargo, North Dakota,” McDormand made her way to the stage of the 69th Academy Awards to receive the Best Actress trophy for this role. Her practiced melodic upper midwestern English lilt and loving craftsmanship of characters are examples of what it looks like to love cinema, and fans love her for it.
Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard’s inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen’s bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
