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
1996
Fargo (1996)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actress Win
1988
Mississippi Burning (1988)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
2015
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Voice Only
2020
Nomadland (2020)
AA Best Actress Win
2011
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
2000
Almost Famous (2000)
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
1996
Primal Fear (1996)
2012
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
2008
Burn After Reading (2008)
2018
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Voice Only
1990
Darkman (1990)
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
2001
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
2021
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
2005
North Country (2005)
AA Best Supp Actress Nom
1998
Madeline (1998)
2021
The French Dispatch (2021)
2008
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
2006
Friends with Money (2006)
1990
Hidden Agenda (1990)
2002
Laurel Canyon (2002)
2002
City by the Sea (2002)
2011
This Must Be the Place (2011)
1995
Palookaville (1995)
1997
Paradise Road (1997)
2012
Promised Land (2012)
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 | 223.0 | 476.80 | 16 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 95.6 | |
| 1 | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Woody Harrelson & Sam Rockwell |
54.50 | 65.5 | 189.30 | 52 | 90 | 07 / 02 | 93.0 | |
| 2 | Fargo (1996) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actress Win |
Steve Buscemi | 24.60 | 60.0 | 147.80 | 66 | 91 | 07 / 02 | 92.5 | |
| 4 | Mississippi Burning (1988) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Gene Hackman | 34.60 | 90.8 | 90.80 | 32 | 79 | 07 / 01 | 91.5 | |
| 7 | The Good Dinosaur (2015) Voice Only |
Anna Paquin | 123.10 | 157.4 | 424.80 | 25 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 91.4 | |
| 5 | Nomadland (2020) AA Best Actress Win |
David Strathairn | 2.10 | 2.5 | 6.40 | 50 | 81 | 06 / 03 | 90.3 | |
| 7 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) | Shia LaBeouf & John Turturto |
351.40 | 477.7 | 1,526.30 | 2 | 51 | 03 / 00 | 90.2 | |
| 8 | Almost Famous (2000) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Kate Hudson | 32.50 | 65.1 | 94.80 | 78 | 89 | 04 / 01 | 89.3 | |
| 10 | Primal Fear (1996) | Richard Gere & Edward Norton |
56.10 | 136.9 | 250.30 | 27 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 88.7 | |
| 9 | Moonrise Kingdom (2012) | Bruce Willis & Bill Murray |
45.50 | 61.6 | 92.40 | 71 | 90 | 01 / 00 | 87.7 | |
| 11 | Burn After Reading (2008) | George Clooney & Brad Pitt |
60.40 | 90.6 | 245.80 | 52 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 85.4 | |
| 11 | Isle of Dogs (2018) Voice Only |
Bill Murray & Bryan Cranston |
32.00 | 37.9 | 75.90 | 83 | 89 | 02 / 00 | 84.8 | |
| 14 | Darkman (1990) | Liam Neeson | 33.90 | 86.3 | 124.60 | 35 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 83.9 | |
| 14 | Raising Arizona (1987) | Nicolas Cage & John Goodman |
22.80 | 63.0 | 80.50 | 49 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 81.5 | |
| 15 | Lone Star (1996) | Matthew McConaughey | 12.40 | 30.3 | 30.30 | 114 | 85 | 01 / 00 | 81.3 | |
| 16 | Wonder Boys (2000) | Michael Douglas & Robert Downey Jr. |
19.40 | 38.8 | 66.90 | 97 | 79 | 03 / 01 | 81.1 | |
| 16 | Blood Simple. (1984) | Joel Coen & Ethan Coen |
6.50 | 20.9 | 20.90 | 100 | 88 | 00 / 00 | 80.8 | |
| 18 | Short Cuts (1993) | Julianne Moore & Robert Downey Jr. |
6.10 | 15.9 | 15.90 | 132 | 87 | 01 / 00 | 79.3 | |
| 19 | Women Talking (2022) AA Best Picture Nom |
Rooney Mara | 5.50 | 5.6 | 8.90 | 86 | 80 | 02 / 01 | 78.1 | |
| 19 | The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) | Billy Bob Thornton & Scarlett Johansson |
7.50 | 14.3 | 36.10 | 136 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 73.2 | |
| 21 | The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) | Denzel Washington | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.60 | 196 | 81 | 03 / 00 | 71.7 | |
| 20 | North Country (2005) AA Best Supp Actress Nom |
Charlize Theron & Woody Harrelson |
18.30 | 30.9 | 42.50 | 124 | 72 | 02 / 00 | 71.5 | |
| 23 | Madeline (1998) | Nigel Hawthorne | 30.00 | 68.9 | 68.90 | 64 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 70.5 | |
| 22 | The French Dispatch (2021) | Bill Murray | 16.10 | 17.1 | 47.30 | 49 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 66.0 | |
| 24 | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) | Amy Adams | 12.30 | 18.5 | 25.10 | 137 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 65.3 | |
| 25 | Friends with Money (2006) | Jennifer Aniston | 13.40 | 21.9 | 29.90 | 141 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 62.2 | |
| 26 | Hidden Agenda (1990) | Brian Cox | 1.00 | 2.6 | 2.60 | 188 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 59.4 | |
| 27 | Laurel Canyon (2002) | Christian Bale | 3.70 | 6.8 | 8.20 | 171 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 49.4 | |
| 30 | City by the Sea (2002) | Robert DeNiro | 22.40 | 41.7 | 54.70 | 103 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 48.8 | |
| 29 | This Must Be the Place (2011) | Sean Penn | 0.10 | 0.2 | 16.00 | 231 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 45.0 | |
| 30 | Palookaville (1995) | Vincent Gallo | 0.40 | 0.9 | 0.90 | 220 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 38.5 | |
| 31 | Paradise Road (1997) | Glenn Close & Cate Blanchett |
2.00 | 4.7 | 4.70 | 173 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 24.8 | |
| 32 | Promised Land (2012) | Matt Damon | 7.60 | 10.3 | 11.00 | 137 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 24.6 | |
| 33 | Talk of Angels (1998) | Franco Nero | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 298 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.1 | |
| 35 | Beyond Rangoon (1995) | Patricia Arquette | 5.80 | 14.2 | 14.20 | 139 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 18.0 | |
| 35 | Crimewave (1985) | Brion James | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 215 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 16.9 | |
| 36 | Aeon Flux (2005) | Charlize Theron | 25.90 | 43.6 | 88.10 | 102 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 11.9 | |
| 37 | The Butcher's Wife (1991) | Demi Moore | 9.70 | 24.8 | 24.80 | 96 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 6.3 | |
| 38 | Chattahoochee (1989) | Gary Oldman & Dennis Hopper |
0.30 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 191 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 3.7 | |
| 40 | Passed Away (1992) | Bob Hoskins & William Peterson |
4.00 | 10.5 | 10.50 | 131 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 2.4 |
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 love it – and I am enjoying the comments as well….one of the really neat things about your movie hubs is the commentary – I like seeing what everyone else’s opinions are too. Helps me decide what to see or not…let’s face it I’m a housewife I don’t get all the movie time I’d like:) gotta be selective!
Hey RealHousewife….well the Frances McDormand hub is off to a great start…thank you for such a great suggestion. I am glad you like the comments. Every hub I write I always end up with two or three movies that I missed before and make it a priority to watch. I would say #21 Laurel Canyon which co-stars Christian Bale and #6 Primal Fear are the two from this hub. Hope you pick a good one to watch.
Frances McDormand? Good work Cogerson. A nice break from the big movie star movie pages.
I have to agree she shined in Fargo, deserved the Oscar.
I liked her in Sam Raimi’s Darkman too.
Lets see I’ve seen 12 of the 30 films you’ve listed. 9 from the top 10 box office and 6 from the critics top ten.
Well Steve…you seemed to have the best of Frances McDormand covered especially if the only main films of hers that you missed are North Country and Madeline…since you saw Blood Simple what did you think about it? Like I said in the hub…it runs about 50/50 love it or hated it.
Cogerson, I saw Blood Simple many years ago but I don’t own it. I haven’t seen Madeline from the box office top 10 and North Country from the moviescore top 10.
Looking forward to your James Mason movie page!
ooh, I love James Mason too. I could close my eyes and just listen to him talk.
Cogerson! You are phenomenal! And I don’t think I’ve ever used that adjective in a comment before:).
I love this movie page so much! Thank you!
I love Frances – she’s a fantastic actress – she isn’t one of the most raving beauties but she seems so REAL. You know it’s what I’m all about:)
One girl has gymnastics tonight so the other and I watch a movie together on Wednesdays. I’m going to choose one I haven’t seen. I’m reallly looking forward to her new ones coming out next! I think her talent just blows away so many other actresses….loved her in Fargo best and I just watched it again. I did see Blood Simple and many of her movies – I loved Blood Simple. I think I’d like any movie she played in and would watch it no matter what.
I didn’t see Miss Pettygrew and I didn’t see Beyond Rangoon.
Thanks SO much! I’m sharing, tweeting, bookmarking for sure so I can check off the ones I didn’t see. Sincere thanks! I’m such a fan of hers ( oh! Yours too:)!
Hey RealHousewife…well I am very glad to hear that you like the hub. I appreciate all the compliments and the sharing, tweeting, and bookmarking.
I think I would watch the movies in the Top 20….not sure how good the movies are that are ranked 21 to 30….but her Top Ten is pretty impressive. Glad to hear you liked Blood Simple….I love the fact that she still does not really understand what is going on at the end of Blood Simple. Thanks again for such nice compliments.
you finished this overnight?!? I know it takes you a long time to find information on classic actors, but you have no more excuses for not having pages published on current actors right away-like, the day after you publish a classic actor hub…….
Most of the films of McDormand’s career I’ve seen tend to be of a similar genre of crime (Hmmm. I wonder why…)
My favourite movie is indeed Fargo.
I have also seen, in movie score order:
Something’s Gotta Give (the lone non-crime caper)
Burn After Reading
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Hey Flora…yep I got this one done very quickly…the current actors/actresses are much easier than the classic ones….plus I already had 16 of the 30 movies already in my database…so researching 14 current movies is actually pretty easy….it took longer trying to find 10 possibly interesting facts.
As for her movies I have seen 14 of her 30 movies.
I would say Fargo and Blood Simple are my two favorites by far….and I would highly recommend Blood Simple…I think it would be a movie that you would greatly enjoy…it is a throwback to how they made movies back in the 1950s….you really should check it out….and it has the greatest DVD commentary ever….the entire commentary is one long running joke by the Coen brothers. Thanks for checking out my latest movie page.
I will look for Blood Simple then.
Looking forward to either Mitchum or DeHaviland
Hey Flora…I look forward to hearing your reaction to Blood Simple whenever you watch it…it is a little slow paced….just like the movies from the 1950s…..but is a great movie. Now I just have to figure who to do first…Olivia or Robert or maybe even James…as I have to make sure I keep Steve happy as well and he requested James Mason months ago.
Cogerson, I saw Blood Simple many years ago but I don’t own it. I haven’t seen Madeline from the box office top 10 and North Country from the moviescore top 10.
Looking forward to your James Mason movie page!
Congrats BERN1960 on being the first one to comment…I am impressed that you found this hub so soon after I published it. Thanks for checking out her hub….your comments and compliments are always appreciated. I am sure you will be much more familiar with the next actor/actress as it will either be Olivia de Havilland or Robert Mitchum.
Congrats BERN1960 on being the first one to comment…I am impressed that you found this hub so soon after I published it. Thanks for checking out her hub….your comments and compliments are always appreciated. I am sure you will be much more familiar with the next actor/actress as it will either be Olivia de Havilland or Robert Mitchum