Rachel McAdams is one of the most versatile and engaging actresses working today since her major breakthrough in the early 2000s with the unparalleled romance The Notebook. Indeed, the Canadian-born actor can make audiences cry their eyes out one moment, while seeing her as an intimidating force of femininity in another. No matter what role McAdams steps into, she can make audiences fall in love with her.
McAdams has become a fan favorite for her ability to capture a range of emotions, leading her to star in dozens of iconic roles, from comedies like Mean Girls to dramas like The Notebook, and even into horror with Send Help. 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 the best Rachel McAdams movies.
‘Wedding Crashers’ (2005)
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 comedy-romance directed by David Dobkin. It boasts an impressive cast, including Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken, and Bradley Cooper, among others. The story lives up to its namesake, with John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) living it up by attending weddings as guests for free food and to hit on women. Yet things change when John falls for Claire (McAdams), challenging the dynamic the friends have built.
McAdams acts as the perfect emotional anchor for the movie, bringing a charming sincerity that plays so well off of Owen Wilson’s more pronounced performance. Under a lesser actor, the role could have easily been diluted to a bland “nice-girl” love interest. However, McAdams proves she can shine just as brightly in a supporting role, delivering engaging likability as the kind-hearted Claire.
‘Mean Girls’ (2004)
Perhaps the most iconic McAdams movie of all time, Tina Fey’s 2004 comedy, directed by Mark Waters, Mean Girls, has become a cult classic. McAdams plays one of the most iconic high school mean girls in cinema, Regina George, leader of the plastics, and stars alongside Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, and Daniel Franzese.
Many tried to replicate the success of Mean Girls and failed horribly, as the formula was just right for its 2004 release, from the cast to the script to the timing in the cultural landscape. McAdams is the quintessential queen bee of outrageous teen cinema, and Regina will likely remain one of the most recognized roles of her career. This makes Mean Girls a must-include in discussions of McAdams’ best films. However, this one sneaks in at this spot because of the supporting role and the actor’s continued evolution from this early entry.
‘Midnight in Paris’ (2011)
Struggling writer Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) gets quite the surprise when visiting Paris with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), which sees him going back to the 20th century at the stroke of midnight. It is here that he rubs shoulders with iconic artists, falls in love with the spellbinding Adriana (Marion Cotillard), and begins to question his relationship with Inez.
While one of the most divisive directors, there is no denying that being cast in a Woody Allen film can serve as a sort of rite of passage that brings out the best in actors. Here, McAdams excels in a role different from her other rom-coms, playing a realistic, modern woman whose cynical outlook counters Owen Wilson’s more dreamy outlook on the world. It is a minor role compared to others on this list, but McAdams makes an unforgettable impression, and it is the ideal showcase of her range that should not be missed.
‘Passion’ (2012)
McAdams plays Christine, a powerful advertising executive working in Germany, who is having an affair. Her protégé, Isabelle, has a bright idea for marketing a new piece of tech, which Christine claims is her own. After this betrayal, Isabelle uploads her version of the ad to the web, which goes viral. Enraged, Christine vows revenge, taunting her now enemy with a sex tape. The plot thickens as Christine is suddenly found dead, and it’s up to the rest of the cast to figure out who committed the murder.
McAdams has the chops to play a femme fatale, and that’s precisely what she does in Brian De Palma’s 2012 erotic thriller Passion, alongside Noomi Rapace. While adapting stories to modern sensibilities is not uncharted territory for De Palma, this movie was perceived as a commercial flop. However, the performance of the two leading actors stands out, with McAdams’ turn as an icy villain a career highlight.
‘Disobedience’ (2017)
Disobedience is a 2017 romantic drama directed by Sebastian Lelio, 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 reignites, and the two defy religion and society to be together.
This movie is a true testament to love and faith as the main characters explore the boundaries of both. Here, McAdams would find praise for her quiet restraint in the character, conveying much of her personal struggle through subtle gestures reflective of the oppressive environment in which she finds herself. This is a grounded performance from McAdams and a great showcase of her range that should not be missed.
‘Game Night’ (2018)
Game Night is a 2018 comedy/action film directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The movie stars McAdams, Jason Bateman, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler, and Billy Magnussen. Max (Bateman) and Annie’s (McAdams) weekly game night is 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 realize it’s much more than just a game.
Among a phenomenal cast, McAadms finds her moments to shine and steal the scene from others; all done in the spirit of the game, mind you. Here, the actor is assertive and at times unhinged, injecting so much life into the film’s comedic moments. If you want just an outright fun performance from McAdams, Game Night is the perfect choice; her energy also paired so perfectly with Jason Bateman, making them quite the dynamic duo here.
‘The Vow’ (2012)
Channing Tatum and McAdams star in The Vow as a happy newlywed 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 he can to rekindle their connection and get his wife back.
Let’s face it, amnesia-themed romance movies are often gimmicky and buckle under their smarmy set-up. Yet McAdams’s ability to sell a tired trope with such warmth and emotional sincerity makes it one of her best performances. Unsurprisingly, McAdams only further cements her title as one of the best in the romantic genre, creating an unforgettable chemistry with Channing Tatum. The movie also followed Passion and Disobedience, showing that the actor was still happy to thrive in romantic roles as much as in complex, darker ones.
‘About Time’ (2013)
In this sci-fi romantic comedy, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is an awkward young guy who learns that the men in his family can travel back in time to relive or redo past moments. Tim uses this gift to his advantage when he meets Mary (McAdams), and the two fall in love through trial-and-error time travel. Yet, Tim comes to realize that not even this can shield him from heartbreak and loss.
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. Here, McAdams brings her usual charm to the production, playing brilliantly off of Gleeson in a series of events that play out slightly differently through its time-travel hook. What stands out for the actor, though, is that many saw it as a more mature performance in a meaningful story that further elevated her as a standout in the romance genre.
‘Spotlight’ (2015)
Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight follows a team of journalists, including Rachel McAdams as Sacha Pfeiffer, investigating allegations of sexual assault against priests. The team discovers that this behavior within the Roman Catholic Church is far more widespread than they ever imagined.
Spotlight is the most critically acclaimed Rachel McAdams project, winning the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, the movie would give McAdams her only Oscar nomination to date, for Best Supporting Actress. This nod remains a pivotal moment in McAdam’s career, and one that is certainly deserved, with her sincerity bringing credibility to her role and nuance to a challenging story of corruption.
‘Send Help’ (2026)
Co-workers on a team building exercise, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), find themselves to be the sole survivors on a remote island after a plane crash. Bradley, who had always been cruel to Linda, continues to try to pull rank on her even in this do-or-die scenario, causing a war of wits and occasional violence while having to survive the harsh wilderness.
Prior to Send Help, Rachel McAdams stepped out of the spotlight for a bit, with her last film coming in 2023s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (equally deserving of a spot on the list). To come back after an absence in a Sam Raimi-led horror thriller was a bit of a bold move, but it was one that paid off in spades. Here, McAdams is enjoyably fierce and commanding, navigating what has to be her most physically and psychologically demanding role to date. We may have seen the next step in McAdams’ career, and we love it.
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