In the mid 2000s, Rachel McAdams was one of Hollywood’s “it” girls. She then disappeared, intentionally, for a couple of years to let that hype die down. It’s an interesting career choice and one that seems to have paid off in the long run. She’s had a string of mostly interesting, largely good movies on her resume, and didn’t have the pressure that other “it” girls have – allowing her to pick those kind of interesting projects.
Here are the top 10 movies from the career of Rachel McAdams.
Doctor Strange
Despite being a fairy recent entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange didn’t leave a ton of impact in the minds of viewers. Maybe it’s because it feels “lesser” compared to the likes of some of the recent great installments. Regardless, it’s a fun movie about a doctor getting to use magic and time travel. Sure, it’s basically Iron Man but with trippier visuals, but Iron Man is a good film to use as a base. Copy from the best, right?
Game Night
Game Night is going to be in contention for the best comedy of 2018, mark my words. It’s a hilarious riff on movies like David Fincher’s The Game and Total Recall, in which it constantly plays with whether or not the events we’re watching are real or part of a, well, game. It stars a trio of couples who get caught up in a real-life kidnapping – or so we think – on the night that they were supposed to be playing a murder-mystery-style game about a kidnapping. They’re not sure if it’s real or fake. Mostly, it’s really funny, finally seeing the absurdity in this kind of premise.
The Little Prince
The Little Prince had an odd path to release, at least in America. It was scheduled for a March 2016 release, but a little while before that, it was dropped by its distributor. Fans feared the worst – dropped for a lack of quality. Netflix eventually picked it up and released it in August. The result? Yeah, it’s pretty good.
It has a unique animation style – a mix of CGI and stop-motion – and tells a good story, which statistically speaking you’ve probably read, since it’s based on one of the best-selling books ever (140+ million copies). It’s clever and funny and sweet and looks amazing, and since you probably have Netflix you can watch it on there for no additional charge.
Mean Girls
Let’s face it, folks: fetch happened. If you say that to anyone, particularly on the internet, they’re going to know what you’re talking about.
Mean Girls is one of the top high school comedies out there, focusing primarily on a new student as she invades the most popular clique in the school – the “plastics” or titular “mean girls” – and in doing so the film is able to point out, make fun of, and circumvent various stereotypes associated with high school. It’s really funny.
Morning Glory
I stopped watching morning news shows several years ago, but they still draw in huge numbers as people put them on in the background while they get ready for work or eat breakfast. Morning Glory follows McAdams as a perpetually enthusiastic producer who someday wants to work on Good Morning America. She’s not there yet, though. She has to take the bottom-ranked national morning show to the top, and has to do so primarily by convincing a grumpy veteran reporter, played by Harrison Ford, to play ball. It’s sweet and funny, and while it’s technically a romantic comedy it’s got more behind-the-scenes producing than it has romance.
A Most Wanted Man
We don’t get a lot of good spy movies anymore. A Most Wanted Man is a good spy movie. It’s really gorgeous – it was filmed on location in Hamburg – it has a compelling plot, and that acting is really great. The plot is solid, with enough twists and reveals throughout to hold our attention. Its lead is Philip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his final performances. I’m still sad that he died as early in his life as he did.
Passion
Passion is an erotic thriller direct by Brian De Palma. If that doesn’t already pique your interest, you may not be a true cinephile. It stars Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams as advertising executives … and then also there’s murder and psychological breakdowns and fantasies and drugs. I don’t know if it makes complete sense or even if it’s a great movie, but it’s a fascinating one and if you’re into that sort of thing then you have to watch it.
Red Eye
Red Eye is a thriller that takes place primarily on an airplane and focusing on two actors. Rachel McAdams is a hotel manager on an overnight flight, the man next to her is Cillian Murphy, who seems cordial enough … until they reach cruising altitude and we find out he’s going to kill her father if she doesn’t do what he wants. It’s tense, it has a decent amount of character development, and it even has some funny moments. It’s an effective thriller.
Spotlight
Spotlight is about the investigation done by The Boston Globe into the sex abuse of children by Catholic priests within the Boston area. It is an incredible piece of filmmaking. It might have the best pacing I’ve ever seen in a movie – its two-plus hours fly by – it has tremendous acting, and its story is so fascinating. That it’s based on real events makes it more interesting and scary. It own the Academy Award for Best Picture that year, and it was so well-deserved.
Wedding Crashers
If you haven’t seen Wedding Crashers, you should probably see Wedding Crashers. It’s about a pair of dudes who crash weddings in order to meet women. One of them falls in love with a woman he meets, while one of the women falls in love with the other dude. It’s really funny, and it has several very good performances – even though a few of them aren’t in the film for that long.
