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?

1. 1
   Blood Simple

   A 1984 Coen Brothers neo-noir debut where McDormand plays Abby, a woman whose affair triggers a deadly chain of events.
2. 2
   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.
3. 3
   Mississippi Burning

   A 1988 drama where McDormand plays Mrs. Pell, the sheriff's wife whose testimony is key to solving civil rights murders.
4. 4
   Short Cuts

   A 1993 Robert Altman ensemble drama where McDormand plays Betty Weathers, a woman navigating marital tensions in Los Angeles.
5. 5
   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.
6. 6
   Almost Famous

   A 2000 Cameron Crowe film where McDormand plays Elaine Miller, the overprotective mother of a teenage rock journalist touring with a band.
7. 7
   The Man Who Wasnt There

   A 2001 Coen Brothers noir where McDormand plays Doris Crane, an unfaithful wife caught in a web of blackmail.
8. 8
   North Country

   A 2005 drama where McDormand plays Glory Dodge, a friend who becomes a crucial ally in a landmark sexual harassment lawsuit.
9. 9
   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.
10. 10
    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.
11. 11
    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.
12. 12
    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.
13. 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.