Throughout the 2010s, the revered actress at hand continued her collaborations with the Coen Brothers, while starting a new partnership entirely: one with another American auteur in Wes Anderson. But there’s also a blockbuster in the midst, along with a few animated films. And for the most part, these are all of the utmost quality, with a few going down among the highest-quality projects that Frances McDormand has ever taken part in.
Sure, there will be an unfamiliar title or two along the way. But you should recognize the majority of pictures featured on this list — especially the picks towards the top. All that said, this is every Frances McDormand movie of the 2010s, ranked.
9 Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The third entry in one of the highest-grossing movie franchises ever made, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) suffered the effects of franchise fatigue like few films of its time. This was before the MCU truly took off, and since the original Transformers (2007), this was the third entry just four years later. And along with the actress at hand, this iteration features several famous names such as John Malkovich and Patrick Dempsey showing up for the first time in the series.
And despite being the most profitable film on the list with substantial name value among its cast, Dark of the Moon is only slightly better than the abomination of a second entry, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009). This famous franchise has gained traction again as of late thanks to Bumblebee (2018), but the nadir it hit here with Dark of the Moon perhaps ruined the Transformers name entirely. It without a doubt should come in at the bottom of the list.
8 Promised Land
Here in Promised Land (2012) by American filmmaker Gus Van Sant, two petroleum landmen go to a rural town trying to buy drilling rights from the locals therein. The workers are played by Matt Damon — in his second collaboration with Van Sant following the famous Good Will Hunting (1997) — and John Krasinski, while Frances McDormand plays the role of Sue Thomason.
Each thespian performs brilliantly, with their efforts arguably defining the quality of Promised Land from start to finish. This isn’t the worst project on paper, but its paucity of proper pacing and overall intrigue holds it back from any sort of true resonance. Not even its star-studded cast could keep this one from the bottom of the ranks.
7 This Must Be the Place
An Italian French Irish drama starring Sean Penn alongside the actress of the hour, This Must Be the Place (2011) follows a wealthy rockstar who spices up his life in retirement by tracking down a Nazi war criminal that tormented his father. It’s a unique premise, and it’s seen into decent fruition by dint of the direction from Paolo Sorrentino in tandem with the original script he penned alongside Umberto Contarello.
In spite of some admirable review scores from critics, This Must Be the Place came up completely short at the worldwide box office, garnering just $12 million on a $28 million budget. Not even Frances McDormand’s name value in the co-starring role could save this project from its commercial shortcomings. And frankly, it hardly holds up any better today.
6 Hail, Caesar!
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the former of whom is married to the actress of the hour, Hail, Caesar! (2016) marks the ninth and most recent collaboration between McDormand and the famous filmmaking brothers. And although it comes in at number six on this list, it’s arguably their worst collaboration together in recent memory. Sure, this project features its fair share of high-quality elements worth writing home about with regard to behind-the-scenes filmmaking, and the actors herein perform admirably from Josh Brolin and Scarlett Johansson to Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton.
And frankly, that’s only scratching the surface of this star-studded cast. Sure, Hail, Caesar! features a rather involved plot about the Hollywood film industry throughout the 1950s. And although this is far from the worst film you’ll read about today, its convincing acting efforts and expert production design (which was nominated for an Academy Award) ultimately land the film here at number six.
5 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
As the third entry in the famous DreamWorks Animation franchise, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012) features a long-established roster of well-written characters. But it also sees several new personalities join the mix, with an ensemble voice cast behind their distinctively DreamWorks-animated faces. And as this project picks up where the second entry left off, Europe’s Most Wanted features several of the same voices from the prior projects.
Take its lead cast, for example: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Schwimmer. In supporting roles are both Cedric the Entertainer and Sacha Baron Cohen, while new characters in the mix are voiced by actors such as Jessica Chastain, Martin Short, Bryan Cranston, and of course Frances McDormand. The actress of the hour plays Captain Chantel Dubois, and her distinct intonations provide film fans with yet another familiar name among its cast. And while Europe’s Most Wanted isn’t the greatest film in the Madagascar franchise, it’s solid enough to warrant this spot at number five.
4 The Good Dinosaur
Among the most poignant and poetic projects in recent Pixar memory is The Good Dinosaur (2015), directed by Peter Sohn. It was actually a bomb at the box office, the first in the studio’s history. But coming off Inside Out (2015) in the same year and by the same team, there’s a solid argument that audiences were less intrigued by another animated tale about anthropomorphic animals than they were fascinated by the story of five personified emotions who administer the thoughts and actions of a young girl. The two premises are hard to compare.
But as The Good Dinosaur follows the young, titular Apatosaurus named Arlo, a resonant dynamic is achieved as he befriends a young caveboy, Spot. Meanwhile, the actress at hand in McDormand shows up as Arlo’s mother, Momma Ida, and she performs wonderfully as the Apatosaurus matriarch. Although audiences weren’t exactly lining up en masse to see this one in theaters, it hits home nonetheless as a solid stint from the famous animation studio.
3 Moonrise Kingdom
In her first of four collaborations with Wes Anderson, she plays Mrs. Bishop — the mother of one of the film’s two protagonists, Suzy. And for those unfamiliar: its plot follows Suzy and her pen pal named Sam as they rebel against their guardians, other elders, and their peers by escaping to an isolated beach. This prompts the police of the fictional island (somewhere off the coast of New England) to gather Suzy’s family and Sam’s boy scout troops to find the missing kids.
Police Captain Sharp is portrayed by Bruce Willis, while Edward Norton shows up as Scout Master Randy Ward. As mentioned, McDormand plays Suzy’s mother, with Bill Murray portraying her husband, Suzy’s dad. And everyone performs brilliantly here in Moonrise Kingdom (2012) to see the final, quirky project come into perfect fruition.
2 Isle of Dogs
Following a group of canines surviving on the titular piece of land, Isle of Dogs (2018) is the second stop-motion animated film of Wes Anderson’s career. And like the rest of that filmmaker’s oeuvre, this features one of the most star-studded rosters of performers you’re ever likely to hear. It’s a true ensemble voice cast, consisting of actors like Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bob Babalan, and Jeff Goldblum in the lead roles, with supporting efforts from the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Greta Gerwig, Harvey Keitel, and of course Frances McDormand.
She plays Interpreter Nelson, a news reporter who works in the fictional city of Megasaki. And although it’s a rather insignificant role overall, McDormand as a Hollywood superstar nonetheless adds noteworthy name value to the cast. And without a doubt, this is one of the greatest projects she took part in throughout the decade, ultimately landing in the penultimate spot.
1 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The third feature film from writer-director Martin McDonough, this entry should be known not just as the best Frances McDormand movie of the 2010s, but perhaps the second-best movie of her career as a whole, of course following Fargo (1996). And without a doubt, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) is also among the highest-quality films of its entire decade, picking up numerous nominations at the 90th Academy Awards ceremony.
Among those nominations were two wins: McDormand for Best Actress and Sam Rockwell for Best Supporting Actor. The latter plays a police officer named Jason Dixon, while Woody Harrelson shows up as the chief, Bill Willoughby. Meanwhile, McDormand’s protagonist Mildred Hayes drives the overall plot by renting the three, titular billboards to shine light on the unsolved rape and murder of her daughter. And everyone performs brilliantly with each actor sharing a tangible rapport with the next. This could very well be the most touching, well-executed, and frankly the greatest overall film you’ll read about today. Without a doubt, it deserves to top the list.
