Rachel McAdams is one of the most talented actresses working in film today.
The actress first gained attention for her work in 'Mean Girls,' and since then has appeared in such popular movies as 'The Notebook,' 'Wedding Crashers,' 'The Time Traveler's Wife,' and 'Southpaw,' as well as the 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'Doctor Strange' franchises, and the Oscar-winning film 'Spotlight.'
McAdams' latest movie, 'Send Help,' which was directed by Sam Raimi, is scheduled for release in theaters on January 30th.
In honor of the release of 'Send Help,' Moviefone is counting down the 20 best films of Rachel McAdams' career.
Let's begin!
Related Article: Rachel McAdams in Talks to Star for Sam Raimi in Horror Thriller ‘Send Help’
20. 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' (2023)
11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City for the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school. She relies on her mother, Barbara (McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who isn’t happy they moved away and likes to remind them every chance she gets.
19. 'The Family Stone' (2005)
An uptight, conservative businesswoman (Sarah Jessica Parker) accompanies her boyfriend (Dermot Mulroney) to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.
18. 'Red Eye' (2005)
A woman (McAdams) is kidnapped by a stranger (Cillian Murphy) on a routine flight. Threatened by the potential murder of her father (Brian Cox), she is pulled into a plot to assist her captor in offing a politician.
17. 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' (2011)
There is a new criminal mastermind at large, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) and not only is he Holmes’ (Robert Downey Jr.) intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil and lack of conscience may give him an advantage over the detective.
16. 'Doctor Strange' (2016)
After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch) gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her (Tilda Swinton) wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.
15. 'Game Night' (2018)
Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie's (McAdams) weekly game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) arranges a murder mystery party -- complete with fake thugs and federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all supposed to be part of the game. As the competitors set out to solve the case, they start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be. The friends soon find themselves in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn over the course of one chaotic night.
14. 'State of Play' (2009)
When a congressional aide is killed, a Washington, D.C. journalist (Russell Crowe) starts investigating the case involving the Representative, his old college friend (Ben Affleck).
13. 'The Vow' (2012)
Happy young married couple Paige (McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum) are, well, happy. Then a car accident puts Paige into a life-threatening coma. Upon awakening she has lost the previous five years of memories, including those of her beloved Leo, her wedding, a confusing relationship with her parents, or the ending of her relationship with her ex-fiance (Scott Speedman). Despite these complications, Leo endeavors to win her heart again and rebuild their marriage.
12. 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (2022)
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
11. 'Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga' (2020)
Two small-town aspiring musicians (Will Ferrell and McAdams) chase their pop star dreams at a global music competition, where high stakes, scheming rivals and onstage mishaps test their bond.
10. 'The Time Traveler's Wife' (2009)
Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana) involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire (McAdams).
9. 'Wedding Crashers' (2005)
John (Owen Wilson) and his buddy, Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) are emotional criminals who know how to use a woman's hopes and dreams for their own carnal gain. Their modus operandi: crashing weddings. Normally, they meet guests who want to toast the romantic day with a random hook-up. But when John meets Claire (McAdams), he discovers what true love – and heartache – feels like.
8. 'About Time' (2013)
The night after another unsatisfactory New Year's party, Tim's father (Bill Nighy) tells his son (Domhnall Gleeson) that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. They can't change history, but they can change what happens and has happened in their own lives. Thus begins the start of a lesson in learning to appreciate life itself as it is, as it comes, and most importantly, the people living alongside us.
7. 'Mean Girls' (2004)
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett), the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George (McAdams).
6. 'Sherlock Holmes' (2009)
Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Doctor John Watson (Jude Law) battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.
5. 'Send Help' (2026)
Two colleagues (McAdams and Dylan O'Brien) become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
4. 'Southpaw' (2015)
Billy "The Great" Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife (McAdams) and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a former fighter who trains the city's toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.
3. 'Midnight in Paris' (2011)
A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple (Owen Wilson and McAdams) forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.
2. 'Spotlight' (2015)
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
1. 'The Notebook' (2004)
An epic love story centered around an older man (James Garner) who reads aloud to a woman (Gena Rowlands) with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple (Ryan Gosling and McAdams) who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
