Want to know the best Frances McDormand movies? How about the worst Frances McDormand movies? Curious about Frances McDormand’s box office grosses or which Frances McDormand movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Frances McDormand movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Frances McDormand (1957-) is a Chicago born, three-time Academy Award® winning actress. I noticed McDormand in her very first movie 1984’s Blood Simple. I worked at a video store back in the mid 1980s. One of the movies that I always recommended was Blood Simple. The feedback I got back from those people that took my recommendation was either they loved the movie or the hated the movie – there was no middle ground. Blood Simple was the first movie that was directed by the brother team of Joel and Ethan Coen and the first movie of Frances McDormand. This partnership between the Coen brothers and McDormand continues to exist today and has produced 8 movies together, two Oscar® wins, multiple Oscar® nominations, and with the Joel half of the Coen brothers, a marriage and one son.
Her IMDb page shows over 75 acting credits since 1984. This page will rank Frances McDormand movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in theaters were not included in the rankings.
Frances McDormand Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews, and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
2003
Something's Gotta Give (2003)
2017
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Win
2015
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Voice Only
1996
Fargo (1996)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Win
1988
Mississippi Burning (1988)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
1996
Primal Fear (1996)
2020
Nomadland (2020)
AA Best Actress Win
2000
Almost Famous (2000)
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
2012
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
2008
Burn After Reading (2008)
1990
Darkman (1990)
2018
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Voice Only
1987
Raising Arizona (1987)
1996
Lone Star (1996)
2000
Wonder Boys (2000)
1984
Blood Simple. (1984)
1993
Short Cuts (1993)
2022
Women Talking (2022)
AA Best Picture Nom
1998
Madeline (1998)
2001
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
2005
North Country (2005)
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
2021
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
2021
The French Dispatch (2021)
2008
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
2006
Friends with Money (2006)
1990
Hidden Agenda (1990)
2002
City by the Sea (2002)
2002
Laurel Canyon (2002)
2011
This Must Be the Place (2011)
1995
Palookaville (1995)
2012
Promised Land (2012)
1997
Paradise Road (1997)
1998
Talk of Angels (1998)
1995
Beyond Rangoon (1995)
1985
Crimewave (1985)
2005
Aeon Flux (2005)
1991
The Butcher's Wife (1991)
1989
Chattahoochee (1989)
1992
Passed Away (1992)
Frances McDormand Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Frances McDormand movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Frances McDormand movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Frances McDormand movies by domestic yearly box office rank
- Sort Frances McDormand movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Frances McDormand movie received.
- Sort Frances McDormand movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 2 | Something's Gotta Give (2003) | Jack Nicholson & Keanu Reeves |
124.70 | 258.6 | 552.90 | 16 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 1 | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Woody Harrelson & Sam Rockwell |
54.50 | 75.9 | 219.50 | 52 | 90 | 07 / 02 | 93.1 | |
| 4 | The Good Dinosaur (2015) Voice Only |
Anna Paquin | 123.10 | 182.5 | 492.60 | 25 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 92.9 | |
| 2 | Fargo (1996) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Steve Buscemi | 24.60 | 69.6 | 171.40 | 66 | 91 | 07 / 02 | 92.4 | |
| 4 | Mississippi Burning (1988) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Gene Hackman | 34.60 | 105.2 | 105.20 | 32 | 79 | 07 / 01 | 91.8 | |
| 10 | Primal Fear (1996) | Richard Gere & Edward Norton |
56.10 | 158.7 | 290.20 | 27 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 89.7 | |
| 5 | Nomadland (2020) AA Best Actress Win |
David Strathairn | 2.10 | 2.7 | 7.00 | 50 | 81 | 06 / 03 | 89.7 | |
| 8 | Almost Famous (2000) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Kate Hudson | 32.50 | 75.5 | 109.90 | 78 | 89 | 04 / 01 | 89.0 | |
| 7 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) | Shia LaBeouf & John Turturto |
351.40 | 553.9 | 1,769.90 | 2 | 51 | 03 / 00 | 88.8 | |
| 9 | Moonrise Kingdom (2012) | Bruce Willis & Bill Murray |
45.50 | 71.5 | 107.20 | 71 | 90 | 01 / 00 | 87.4 | |
| 11 | Burn After Reading (2008) | George Clooney & Brad Pitt |
60.40 | 105.1 | 285.00 | 52 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 85.5 | |
| 14 | Darkman (1990) | Liam Neeson | 33.90 | 100.1 | 144.40 | 35 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 84.3 | |
| 11 | Isle of Dogs (2018) Voice Only |
Bill Murray & Bryan Cranston |
32.00 | 43.7 | 87.50 | 83 | 89 | 02 / 00 | 84.1 | |
| 14 | Raising Arizona (1987) | Nicolas Cage & John Goodman |
22.80 | 73.0 | 93.30 | 49 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 81.5 | |
| 15 | Lone Star (1996) | Matthew McConaughey | 12.40 | 35.1 | 35.10 | 114 | 85 | 01 / 00 | 80.6 | |
| 16 | Wonder Boys (2000) | Michael Douglas & Robert Downey Jr. |
19.40 | 45.0 | 77.50 | 97 | 79 | 03 / 01 | 80.5 | |
| 16 | Blood Simple. (1984) | Joel Coen & Ethan Coen |
6.50 | 24.2 | 24.20 | 100 | 88 | 00 / 00 | 79.8 | |
| 18 | Short Cuts (1993) | Julianne Moore & Robert Downey Jr. |
6.10 | 18.5 | 18.50 | 132 | 87 | 01 / 00 | 78.2 | |
| 19 | Women Talking (2022) AA Best Picture Nom |
Rooney Mara | 5.50 | 6.1 | 9.70 | 86 | 80 | 02 / 01 | 77.4 | |
| 23 | Madeline (1998) | Nigel Hawthorne | 30.00 | 79.9 | 79.90 | 64 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 72.4 | |
| 19 | The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) | Billy Bob Thornton & Scarlett Johansson |
7.50 | 16.6 | 41.90 | 136 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 72.3 | |
| 20 | North Country (2005) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Charlize Theron & Woody Harrelson |
18.30 | 35.8 | 49.20 | 124 | 72 | 02 / 00 | 71.4 | |
| 21 | The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) | Denzel Washington | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.70 | 229 | 81 | 03 / 00 | 71.1 | |
| 22 | The French Dispatch (2021) | Bill Murray | 16.10 | 19.8 | 54.80 | 49 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 65.7 | |
| 24 | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) | Amy Adams | 12.30 | 21.4 | 29.10 | 137 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 65.1 | |
| 25 | Friends with Money (2006) | Jennifer Aniston | 13.40 | 25.4 | 34.70 | 141 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 62.6 | |
| 26 | Hidden Agenda (1990) | Brian Cox | 1.00 | 3.0 | 3.00 | 188 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 58.5 | |
| 30 | City by the Sea (2002) | Robert DeNiro | 22.40 | 48.4 | 63.40 | 103 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 52.0 | |
| 27 | Laurel Canyon (2002) | Christian Bale | 3.70 | 7.9 | 9.50 | 171 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 49.3 | |
| 29 | This Must Be the Place (2011) | Sean Penn | 0.10 | 0.2 | 18.60 | 231 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 44.7 | |
| 30 | Palookaville (1995) | Vincent Gallo | 0.40 | 1.0 | 1.00 | 220 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 38.2 | |
| 32 | Promised Land (2012) | Matt Damon | 7.60 | 11.9 | 12.80 | 137 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
| 31 | Paradise Road (1997) | Glenn Close & Cate Blanchett |
2.00 | 5.5 | 5.50 | 173 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 25.4 | |
| 33 | Talk of Angels (1998) | Franco Nero | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 303 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.2 | |
| 35 | Beyond Rangoon (1995) | Patricia Arquette | 5.80 | 16.5 | 16.50 | 139 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 19.3 | |
| 36 | Crimewave (1985) | Brion James | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 218 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 16.9 | |
| 36 | Aeon Flux (2005) | Charlize Theron | 25.90 | 50.5 | 102.20 | 102 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 14.6 | |
| 37 | The Butcher's Wife (1991) | Demi Moore | 9.70 | 28.8 | 28.80 | 96 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 7.6 | |
| 38 | Chattahoochee (1989) | Gary Oldman & Dennis Hopper |
0.30 | 0.8 | 0.80 | 191 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 3.9 | |
| 40 | Passed Away (1992) | Bob Hoskins & William Peterson |
4.00 | 12.1 | 12.10 | 131 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 2.6 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Frances McDormand
1. Frances McDormand has been nominated 6 times for an acting Oscar®….three times for Best Actress in Nomadland, Fargo and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (she won all three times) and 3 times for Best Supporting Actress…those movies were Mississippi Burning, Almost Famous and North Country.
2. Frances McDormand has been nominated 6 times for a Golden Globe® award….twice for Best Actress….Fargo, Burn After Reading and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and twice for Best Supporting Actress….Almost Famous and North Country. She won the Golden Globe® for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.
3. Frances McDormand has been married to director Joel Coen since 1984…..they adopted their son Pedro in 1994. Adoption was something Frances McDormand was very familiar with, as she was adopted by Noreen and Vernon McDormand when she was a young child.
4. Frances McDormand has screen credits in 8 Coen brother movies. The first was 1984’s Blood Simple and the most recent was 2008’s Burn After Reading. Of course her most famous Coen brother role was her Oscar® winning performance in 1996’s Fargo.
5. Premiere magazine ranked Frances McDormand’s role in Fargo as the 27th Greatest Movie Character of All Time.
6. Frances McDormand is a graduate of Yale University.
7. Two roles Frances McDormand was considered for but did not do Apollo 13 and Thelma and Louise.
8. Frances McDormand got her role in the 1990’s Darkman after Julia Roberts decided to make Pretty Woman…a good decision by Julia Roberts.
Check out Frances McDormand‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
I could not immediately put a face with the name Frances McDormand. Then I saw her photograph and of course, yes. Looking down the list of titles she has worked in, I don’t see many that I have watched. It must go to the generational thing that has been mentioned before. And James Mason’s made his living with that voice.
Hey mckbirdbks…..thanks for checking out this actress that you were not too familiar with….she has had some great movies over the last 27 years…..I know you will know more about my next hub subject…..as James Mason…aka The Voice is currently being reasearched as I work on my next Cogerson career movie hub. Thanks for the comments.
Cogerson – that doesn’t surprise me at all. And you have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to request that you write this one. You are so busy I didn’t want to ask:) lol. But there is something intriguing about her – and I’m so glad your getting such a great response too! It would have really been terrible if I’d made a request and like 10 people read it:) LOL
Your just validating my good taste now! Hahaha!
Yes indeed Real Housewife.. the success of the hub is indeed a validation of your good tastes. I think the more hubs I do of so many different types of actors/actresses the better my overall hubs are….and she has had a great career and deserves more recognition….4 Oscar nominations and 1 Oscar win tells you that the Hollywood crowd thinks she is a great actress as well.
I loved Frances in Almost Famous and have watched her Rolling Stone Rock Star performance a bunch of times on my trusty VHS…I need to look up Fargo on Netflix.;)
My Bryan’s Cogerson Movie Score this film bio is 101.;)
Hey Mentalist acer…thanks for such a high hub score…I could live with a 101….I think I have had one 100 rating in almost 10 months….and that lasted about 10 minutes before it went down to 99.
I think you will like Fargo….lots of great performances beside McDorman’s great one….William H. Macy is great as the crooked husband….thanks for stopping by.
Hey Steve…thanks for the link…it does not look like they pick many movies a year for the honor…and many movies that I have never even heard of before. No Omega Man? You have to be kidding….lol. Obviously they do not want good movies in the National Film Registry is they do not include Omega Man.
I’ve been looking at the list of films chosen for the National Film Registry for my next hub and I’ve noticed Fargo is in there, I think its the only Coen Bros film chosen. Many classics listed, a lot of favourites too. Enter the Dragon is there, but no Omega Man, darn it. 🙂
A movie has to be at least 10 years old before being eligible for the NFR.
Hey Flora thanks for the information on the NFR and how many years they wait….ten years seems like the right amount of years.