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.
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.
For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
Good actress. I think the first thing I ever saw her in was “Mississippi Burning”. Her performance in “Fargo” was one of the best performances of the 1990s. She’s been in many good films, including “Almost Famous”, “Wonder Boys”, and “Raising Arizona”. (But what was she thinking with “Transformers 3”?)
Another interesting page.
Rob
Hey Rob….once again I agree with your entire comment….I am glad I am not the only one surprised she was in Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon…..it really seems out of place on her resume. But I guess she wanted to experience a blockbuster. I have not seen the movie but I wonder if her part will reappear in future Transformers movies. Your comments are always spot on…and so close to my thinking as well…no wonder I like them so much…lol…thanks as always for stopping by.
I can’t help following either! Lol but Cogerson – it’s so much fun to discuss movies and entertainment I get all caught up in the conversation:) I’m going to have to blame you for making me so chatty!
Chat away.
Looking forward to Mason. I have seen most of his famous films, but either through availability or just a preference to choose films of his I already know I love (most likely both) I’ve only seen just under a third of his films. I’ll wait until the movie page is published to say anything more.
Hey Flora…well I can say James Mason has some great movies but it looks like he has lots of really bad ones as well….it should be an interesting list that will be really top heavy. I have fully committed to his hub…as I currently have 71 movies of his movies that have been identified for the hub already in my database.
We were talking about this article at dinner last night – my husband has never seen Blood Simple – we are all going tom watch it again this weekend if I can get it:)
I am glad to hear that you are going to watch Blood Simple…I can not believe that Blood Simple is going on 30 years old…just remember that the ratio of people that watch Blood Simple is 50/50….one of you will love the movie and the other will hate it. Good luck finding it…I know they re-released it to theaters a few years ago and the Director’s cut is out there in DVD land as well.
I found it at Netflix – in case anyone else would like to track it down:)
Hey RealHousewife…being chatty is what HubPages is all about. Just to give you an HubPage numbers update….her second day is at 129 hits…for a total of 337 hits….and currently almost 55 comments….so I think in the long run she has a chance to join my 1000 hit hub club. And Google finally picked it on their google searches…it is actually ranking pretty high according to Google. That is good that NetFlix has it readily available.
Cogerson – I am so glad! I wanted to ask you SO many times to write about her. I bought Fargo a couple months ago and watched it again so it was on my mind. I was chicken to ask you:) lol. I am really happy it worked out so well for both of us! So awesome!
Yes I was shocked to see I could get it so easily from Netflix – I already added it so I could get it this weekend. I bet others will be ordering it too!
Have a great weekend!
Hey Real Housewife….I hope you enjoy the movie….realize that Blood Simple is not only her first ever movie but also the Coen brothers first ever movie they directed….and without Blood Simple there might not have been a Fargo, Miller’s Crossing, No Country For Old Men, O Brother Where Are Thou, True Grit and Raising Arizona…..the success of this hub continues…closing in on 400 hits and 70 comments.
Well the page has started to slow…but it has been a nice traffic producing page. Current stats 457 hits…and 67 comments. A nice three day run. So did you check out Blood Simple? I was reading Roger Ebert’s review of Blood Simple of he gave it 4 stars. And now I am thinking I will watch it some time this weekend
She has had all her success based almost completley on her acting skills. I think she was awesome in Fargo, Primal Fear and North Country, as well as Woody Harrelson. North Country is a great little film not many people talk about. Very nicely done, you da man.
Hey Shaun thanks for stopping by…I agree with you that she has excellent acting skills. I do believe you are one of the first people to mention North Country. It is her only Oscar nominated movie I have not seen…I did not even know Woody Harrelson was even in the movie until I was checking for photos of McDormand to post on this movie page…I will have to check that one out…thanks as always for your comments.