Rachel McAdams is one of the most versatile and engaging actresses working today. She has the ability to make you cry your eyes out from one of her movies and still be able to play one of the most iconic high school bullies of all time in the next. No matter what role McAdams steps into, she is able to make audiences fall in love with her and her girl next door persona.
The forty-three-year-old actress from St. Thomas, Ontario grew up as a competitive figure skater from the ages of four to eighteen and began acting at the age of twelve. She first began her acting journey in the theater and developed such a passion for it that she graduated with a degree in theater from York University. Since then she has starred in dozens of iconic roles from Mean Girls to The Notebook. These films, along with dozens of others, have helped shape McAdams into the household name she is today. While there are so many incredible movies of hers to choose from here are ten of the best Rachel McAdams movies, ranked.
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10 Southpaw
Southpaw comes in at number ten on the list and is a sports drama film from director Antoine Fuqua. The movie was released in 2015 and stars Jake Gyllenhaal who plays Billy Hope a middleweight champion boxer who seems to have everything in life going for him until disaster hits. He finds himself as lost as ever without his wife Maureen Hope (McAdams) and daughter Leila Hope (Oona Laurence). Hope tries to make a comeback and reclaim his status in the world of boxing before it is too late.
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9 Disobedience
This movie is a true testament to love and faith as the main characters explore the boundaries of both. Disobedience is a romantic drama released in 2017 by director Sebastian Leilo starring McAdams as Esti Kuperman and Rachel Weisz as Ronit Krushka. The two main characters Esti and Ronit find themselves back in the same city after not seeing each other since their childhood. When they finally reunite the passion they felt for one another as kids start back up again and the two defy against religion and society to be together.
8 Game Night
Game Night is a 2018 comedy/action film directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The movie stars McAdams and Jason Bateman along with Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler, and Billy Magnussen. Max (Bateman) and Annie’s (McAdams) weekly game night gets shaken up when Brooks (Chandler) decides to make things more interesting with a murder mystery party. The murder mystery seems like nothing but fun until the characters set out to solve the case and come to realize that this is much more than just a game.
7 Wedding Crashers
This next film is a huge fan favorite and one of McAdams’ funniest movies. Wedding Crashers is a comedy/romance that was released in 2005 and comes from director David Dobkin. The number of stars this movie has in it is endless and its huge cast is one of the reasons why it’s so successful. From Owen Wilson to Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken, and Bradley Cooper the talent goes on and on. Wedding Crashers is a must-watch and definitely deserves its spot on the list of best McAdams movies.
6 The Vow
Channing Tatum and McAdams star in The Vow as a happy newly-wed couple whose lives change forever when a car accident alters their reality. Paige (McAdams) wakes up from a coma with severe brain damage and can’t remember her husband Leo (Tatum). Leo does all that he can to rekindle their connection and get his wife back. The film was a hit from the start and brought in a little under $200 million dollars at the box office.
5 About Time
About Time is a beautiful, funny, and endearing film about living every moment to the fullest and cherishing the time you have with the people you love while they’re here. In this romantic comedy, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is an awkward young guy who finds out that the men in his family have the ability to go back in time and either re-do or relive moments from their past. Tim uses this gift to his advantage when he meets Mary (McAdams) and the two fall in love with the help of time travel. While this ability does help him in a lot of instances he comes to realize that not even this can shield him from heartbreak and loss.
4 Spotlight
Spotlight is by far the most critically acclaimed film McAdams has been a part of as it won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. In addition to its two wins, the film was also nominated for four other Oscars including Best Supporting Actress for McAdams’ portrayal of Sacha Pfeiffer. This was a pivotal moment in McAdam’s career and really signalled to the world that she is a serious dramatic actor. Spotlight was directed by Tom McCarthy and follows a team of journalists investigating allegations of sexual assault against priests who discover this behavior within the Roman Catholic Church is a much greater problem than they ever imagined.
3 Mean Girls
This next movie on the list is perhaps the most iconic McAdams movie of all time, Mean Girls. Tina Fey’s 2004 comedy directed by Mark Waters is a cult classic and overall just a great movie. It seems as though everybody is constantly referencing this movie whether they are saying “On Wednesdays we wear pink,” “I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom,” or “Get in loser, we’re going shopping.” McAdams plays one of the most iconic high school mean girls to ever exist in the world of cinema, Regina George, leader of the plastics and stars in the film alongside Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, and Daniel Franzese. The movie was recently adapted into a Broadway show which has also been a huge success.
2 Doctor Strange
The Marvel Cinematic Universe holds some of the most powerful and beloved action/fantasy movies to date. With over twenty-seven movies in the franchise that have collectively brought in twenty-five billion dollars, there is no end in sight for the creation of marvel movies. Doctor Strange is one of the characters that belong to the MCU and his film Doctor Strange is all the rage at the moment due to Marvel’s recent announcement that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to release in 2022. Doctor Strange is played by Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife in the film Christine Palmer is played by Rachel McAdams. Doctor Strange is one of the most powerful sorcerers in existence and throughout Doctor Strange and countless other Marvel movies he is called to help protect the universe with his ability to cast spells and fight with magic.
1 1) The Notebook
Coming in at number one on the list for the best Rachel McAdams movie is Nick Cassavetes’ The Notebook. When Allie Hamilton (McAdams) is approached one night at the fair by a small-town mill worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) her life changes forever. They spend a summer madly in love despite their social class differences and have the time of their lives until Allie is forced to attend school in New York and the two break up. Years later Allie and Noah find their way back to one another and fight to make their relationship work in the midst of disapproving parents, Allie’s current engagement, and long-lost letters. This movie is one of the greatest love stories of all time and is by far the best Rachel McAdams movie.
