Frances McDormand is one of those performers who understand what it means to be human. The two-time Oscar winner (and seven-time nominee) is a firm favorite when it comes to art-house, independent, and out-of-the-box films, and that's because she knows how to tap into a character's innermost creations. Whether it's a dark comedy performance like "Fargo", or a drama like her latest Oscar win for "Three billboards peroutside of Ebbing, Missouri , McDormand makes it his own.
Now the important question is how do you rank them? We got together and identified what we consider to be the most iconic in McDormand's filmography, and then ranked them from greatest to, umm, best to greatest. Whether she's keeping rock stars in check or running from a husband obsessed with killing her, all Frances McDormand performances have one thing in common: they'll keep you watching.
10. Three billboards near Ebbing, Missouri.
Those outside the Academy may have snubbed the movie about a mother who uses three giant billboards to set the city on fire under her ass after her murdered daughter's case cools down, but McDormand's performance is an undeniable force. In the film, McDormand conveys a sense of loss and a cold rage, poignantly conveying a contemptuous mother. The performance earned her a second Oscar and recognition as one of the greatest actresses of her generation.
9. Full Moon Kingdom
Whimsical and Pastel, a 2012 Wes Anderson comedyMoonrise Kingdom" is the love story of young runaway pen pals Susie Bishop and Sam Shakusky. It stars Frances McDormand as Laura Bishop, Susie's tormented mother who, along with navigating her strained marriage to Walt (Bill Murray) and caring for her three young sons, must now set off in search of her daughter. Though her role is minor, McDormand brings humor and weariness to every line of her role as matriarch of the Bishop family. Her performance fits perfectly into the whimsical world of Wes Anderson, but also resonates with mothers everywhere.
8. Burn after reading.
In this critically polarized black comedy, McDormand plays Linda Litzke, a fitness club employee who decides to get plastic surgery to improve her looks and meet better guys. “I got as far as this body could take me,” she says with tragic certainty. While the film wasn't her best effort with the Coens overall, McDormand's performance offers what she does best: a genuine blend of heartbreaking comedy with a loving understanding of the contradictions and absurdities of what it means to be human. -Matt Miller
7 The Mississippi Is Burning
Another Oscar-nominated work for McDormand, the hardy actress showcases her skills here, capturing the devastation of abuse and how its ramifications reach far beyond single relationships. Playing a woman named Mrs. Pell, her own abusive relationship puts her in an even more precarious position when fear for her husband, the city's deputy sheriff, prevents her from coming forward with information about the Ku Klux Klan (confused with law enforcement officials). ) and his involvement in the murder of three civil rights activists.
6 Wonder Boys
McDormand never received credit for her role as Sarah in "Wonder Boys" , president of a remote liberal arts school in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, married to the head of the English department, she begins an affair with Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), a forgotten literary phenomenon who is fading away as an English professor suffering from writer's block. When Sarah discovers her unexpected pregnancy, there is a sharp relief in her casual conversation with Grady. McDormand is brilliant in this role, vividly demonstrating the dilemma of a successful woman, unsatisfied in middle age, ready to blow everything up and start over.
5. Country of nomads
"Country of nomads" – gentle a film about an American experiment in which the landscape is as much a character as any person walking in the frame. Like Fern, a widowed pensioner living a new life on the open road, McDormand isNomadland Anchor. From swimming naked in a river to turning a ten-gallon bucket into a makeshift toilet, McDormand imbues Fern's moments of loneliness with radical depth. Fern hardships returnNomadland to the ground, and only McDormand couldplay a performance whose quiet compassion is so revolutionary.
4. Almost Famous
Toward the Beginning of Cameron Crowe's Autobiographical MasterpieceAlmost famous" 15-year-old William Miller is dropped off at a Black Sabbath concert by his very loving but overprotective mother, Elaine (Frances McDormand). As he walks off into the crowd of long-haired hippies, beer in hand, Elaine yells passionately, "Don't do drugs!" This is a sign line.
There's something about the way McDormand says it, like she can't help it—like it comes from deep inside her. Elaine is more than a worried mother; she is a force of nature, not afraid to put a rock star in his place, but trusting in the honest kindness of the son she raised. This is McDormand at her best (and it earned her an Oscar nod).
3. Raising Arizona
Listing vaccines, hurriedly dousing white bread with yellow mustard, McDormand is a fast-talking baby expert, blaming mom's anxiety on the already stressed new parents of a kidnapped child. It's a small role, but an unforgettable one, even if it's only about her reaction to seeing the baby for the first time: hands slapping her face, big eyes oozing love through her fingers. "He's an angel sent straight from heaven." Then a quick serious twist: "You're going to send him to Arizona."
2. Simple blood
blood simple much more important than it seems. This is not only the first film of the Coen brothers, but also the first mainstream film by McDormand. She plays Abby in a thriller about a vindictive husband who decides that the proper punishment for cheating is death. The film is thrilling from start to finish, with twists and turns all the way to the last moments. It also solidified McDormand as a bona fide star and performer whose career would only grow over the next 40 years.
1. Fargo
Fargo in many ways is the only evidence you need to understand that McDormand is a god-level actress. Her role as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota officer who solves a gruesome murder, could have easily thwarted the camp, but McDormand brought a deep Minnesota accent and a distinct Midwestern brand to the woman without losing her humanity. Fargo is the first of two Academy Awards won by McDormand as a performance piece that testifies to his keen ability to take nuance to the point of absurdity.
