Few actors of this generation are as beloved as Rachel McAdams. From graduating York University at the start of the century to earning her first Academy Award nomination fifteen years later, McAdams’ rise through the Hollywood ranks has been impressive. However, it still feels like she has so much more to give, as illustrated by her bloody, violent, and hilarious performance in The Evil Dead director Sam Raimi‘s recent return to horror: Send Help.
From starting her career as a mainstay in the romance and comedy genres to pivoting in the last decade to encompass a wider range of performances, McAdams has almost done it all in just 24 years on screen. Whilst we wait for the announcement of the next McAdams project, lets look back at the staple performances from her filmography. Here are the 7 most essential Rachel McAdams movies.
‘Game Night’ (2018)
Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams as Max and Annie, looking up while laying on the ground in Game Night.Image via Warner Bros.
McAdams is known for being able to hold emotional weight in small moments. In the 2018 action-comedy Game Night, she delivers a raucous performance as one half of a married couple who find their simple game night spiraling out of control and into criminal chaos. With a fast-paced Mark Perez script, McAdams thrives.
It certainly helps that McAdams is paired with the deadpan veteran instincts of Jason Bateman throughout Game Night. The pair compliment each other perfectly, although it is worth saying that McAdams can conjure chemistry from almost any pairing. One of her more underrated performances, this is McAdams at full throttle.
‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ (2023)
Image via Lionsgate Films
Less than twenty years after playing one of the most famous teenagers in movie history, McAdams is the supportive, doting mother of a soon-to-be teen in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Adapted from the classic novel by Judy Blume, the film follows the struggle of 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson), as she is faced with questions about her own identity and religion on the cusp of adolescence, all whilst moving from comfortable New York City to an unfamiliar suburban New Jersey town.
There are several great performances in Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, not least from Fortson as the titular Margaret. However, McAdams, as she so often does, steals the spotlight in almost all of her scenes as the mom we would all be lucky to have. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret is a touching, tender adaptation that deserves more recognition.
‘Wedding Crashers’ (2005)
Rachel McAdams in ‘Wedding Crashers’Image via New Line Cinema
McAdams has been involved in some of the best comedies of the Noughties. In Wedding Crashers, she is part of an electric ensemble from one of the must-watch R-rated comedy of the 2000s. Starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as the titular Wedding Crashers, whose hobby of picking up girls at weddings goes awry when love enters the picture.
Some of Wedding Crashers hasn’t aged particularly well, although, when seen as a time capsule of mid-Noughties comedy, it can perhaps be forgiven. For every cringe-inducing Vaughn or Wilson moment, McAdams’ glowing Claire is there with a beaming smile to ground the story and reel you right back in. Although she might not be as loud as many of her co-stars, McAdams’ presence is key to the balance of this beloved comedy.
‘Spotlight’ (2015)
Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Brian Darcy review newspaper clippings as reporters for the Boston Globe in SpotlightImage via Open Road Films
At the 88th Academy Awards in 2016, despite competition from the likes of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant and Adam McKay’s The Big Short, it was Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight that eventually earned the title of Best Picture. This win was from one of an impressive six nominations for Spotlight, with McAdams sadly missing out on the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
To date, McAdams’ performance as Sacha Pfeiffer in Spotlight is the only Academy Award nomination she has earned. Many would suggest this is an oversight by the Academy, but its reality is enough to make Spotlight one of the most essential movies in McAdams’ filmography.
‘About Time’ (2013)
Mary (Rachel McAdams) and Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) laughing under an umbrella in the rain in About Time.Image via Universal Pictures
Few romantic comedies have the potential to make a viewer laugh their tears like About Time. Richard Curtis‘ magnum opus about the importance of cherishing life’s little moments dabbles in sci-fi but never too much, rips at your heartstrings but never without hope, and delivers one of the most endearing central couples of the past 15 years.
Alongside Domhnall Gleeson‘s Tim, McAdams’ utterly adorable Mary is one-half of the exact relationship we all dreamed of having. Falling in love through the tricks of a time traveler, this romantic comedy disguised as a drama is much more about the real world than its sci-fi logline would suggest, and is all the better for it.
‘The Notebook’ (2004)
Rachel McAdams as Allie smiling and wearing a white dress in ‘The Notebook’ party sceneImage via New Line Cinema
One of the most famous romantic movies of all time, The Notebook is the jewel in the crown of McAdams’ filmography. It follows poor country boy Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) as he unexpectedly meets wealthy heiress Allie Hamilton (McAdams), with the pair falling hopelessly in love during a whirlwind summer.
This swoon-worthy tale, much like the aforementioned About Time, solidifies McAdams as perhaps the best romantic lead of her generation. The Notebook fills hearts with joy before bursting them with a gut-punch ending that still stands as one of the most impactful of any in this genre. Truly captivating and blissfully hopeful, The Notebook will leave anyone dreaming of kissing in the rain.
‘Mean Girls’ (2004)
It’s frankly unbelievable that McAdams’ two best movies, The Notebook and Mean Girls, were released just under two months apart back in 2004. Both are iconic examples of their respective genres, with the latter finishing first in this list thanks to McAdams’ Regina George, who is perhaps the most famous character of any chick flick.
Cady Herron’s (Lindsay Lohan) rise and fall through the brutal hierarchy of her new high school is the stuff of legend and is perhaps the most famous of its kind in cinema history. One of the most quotable movies ever, it isn’t far “fetch”ed to suggest that Mean Girls is McAdams’ best performance, able to turn a generic bully into a unique character that has stood the test of cinema time.
Release Date
April 30, 2004
Runtime
96 minutes
Director
Mark Waters
Producers
Jill Messick
