What is the best Frances McDormand movie of all time?

Three Oscars, countless unforgettable characters, and a career defined by refusal to play it safe. From quiet midwestern determination to scorched-earth rage — where does she peak for you?

Blood Simple

A 1984 Coen Brothers neo-noir debut where McDormand plays Abby, a woman whose affair triggers a deadly chain of events.

1/13

Raising Arizona

A 1987 Coen Brothers comedy where McDormand plays Dot, the sister-in-law of a couple who kidnap a baby to start a family.

2/13

Mississippi Burning

A 1988 drama where McDormand plays Mrs. Pell, the sheriff's wife whose testimony is key to solving civil rights murders.

3/13

Short Cuts

A 1993 Robert Altman ensemble drama where McDormand plays Betty Weathers, a woman navigating marital tensions in Los Angeles.

4/13

Fargo

A 1996 Coen Brothers crime thriller where McDormand plays Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating a triple murder, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress.

5/13

Almost Famous

A 2000 Cameron Crowe film where McDormand plays Elaine Miller, the overprotective mother of a teenage rock journalist touring with a band.

6/13

The Man Who Wasnt There

A 2001 Coen Brothers noir where McDormand plays Doris Crane, an unfaithful wife caught in a web of blackmail.

7/13

North Country

A 2005 drama where McDormand plays Glory Dodge, a friend who becomes a crucial ally in a landmark sexual harassment lawsuit.

8/13

Burn After Reading

A 2008 Coen Brothers dark comedy where McDormand plays Linda Litzke, a gym employee who stumbles upon what she thinks is a CIA disc.

9/13

Moonrise Kingdom

A 2012 Wes Anderson film where McDormand plays Laura Bishop, the mother of a runaway girl in a whimsical 1960s summer camp story.

10/13

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

A 2017 dark comedy where McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, a grieving mother who takes on the local police department, winning her second Academy Award for Best Actress.

11/13

Nomadland

A 2020 Chloe Zhao drama where McDormand plays Fern, a widow who travels the American West as a modern-day nomad, winning her third Academy Award for Best Actress.

12/13

The Tragedy of Macbeth

A 2021 Joel Coen adaptation where McDormand plays Lady Macbeth in a stark, stylized black-and-white version of Shakespeare's tragedy.

13/13