Though Rachel McAdams made her Hollywood debut in the 2002 film The Hot Chick, she’s remained a popular actress in all the years since.
McAdams has taken on major roles in a variety of genres. From a surgeon in a superhero film to an investigative journalist in a biographical drama and even an upper-class southern girl in a classic romance, she knows how to fade into any part. Rather than ranking her best movies ourselves, though, we decided to turn to the rating system at IMDb.
The popular movie and TV show website has assigned every single feature film containing Rachel McAdams a star rating on a scale of 1 to 10. These scores are based on the votes of registered users. We’ll be using these to stack up McAdams’ most popular films.
With that said, it’s time to hit the big screen. Here are Rachel McAdams’ best movies according to IMDb.
The Time Traveler’s Wife (7.1)
Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 novel of the same name, The Time Traveler’s Wife tells of a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to shift throughout time. Though he’s thrilled to meet and fall in love with a woman named Clare, their relationship becomes filled with trouble as he continues to fade in and out of the moment. The romantic sci-fi drama had Rachel McAdams starring as Clare while Eric Bana played the time-traveling librarian.
Though most critics found the story to be overly melodramatic, most general audiences were happy with the film’s creative narrative.
Southpaw (7.4)
This 2015 sports drama has Jake Gyllenhaal taking on the role of Billy “The Great” Hope, a middleweight boxing champion. Though Billy loves his exciting career and lifestyle, things take a turn for the worst after a gun accident threatens everything he knows and loves including his manager, family, and security. However, with a little help from former competitor Tick Willis, he hopes to take back the things he’s lost. While Forest Whitaker plays Tick, Rachel McAdams plays Billy’s sweet wife, Maureen Hope.
The performances of the film’s leads gained lots of praise, despite the film’s critical reviews coming in mixed to average.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (7.5)
This period mystery film is the sequel to 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the titular detective and Jude Law as his loyal sidekick, Dr. John Watson. The narrative follows the team’s quest to figure out what caused the death of Austria’s crown prince. While it seems to the world that the death was a suicide, Holmes knows that murder is much more likely.
The film had Rachel McAdams playing Irene Adler, a woman who is in love with Holmes. Unfortunately, this romance leads to her undoing more quickly than she might expect.
Doctor Strange (7.5)
Marvel’s 2016 superhero film about a doctor with time travel powers had Benedict Cumberbatch taking on the role of the titular character. Rachel McAdams also showed up in a big way, as both an emergency surgeon and former flame of Doctor Strange, with whom she remains friends. The story tells of how a car accident disables Dr. Stephen Strange, causeing him to turn to mystical powers for help.
The film took in positive reviews from critics who loved the strong casting, the exciting action, and the immersive visuals.
Sherlock Holmes (7.6)
The first film in the Sherlock Holmes series starring Robert Downey Jr. debuted in 2009 and received even more love from the fans at IMDb. It had the famous detective and Dr. Watson uncovering the secrets behind a series of murders in London. Though McAdams’ Irene Adler is less present in the second film, she remains a key player in the first installment as an adversary who requests Holmes to track down a professor known as Luke Reordan.
The characters and actors who portrayed them received lots of praise from critics.
The Little Prince (7.7)
This 2015 English-French animation, based on the 1943 novella of the same name, features a cast that includes Paul Rudd, Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridges, James Franco, and of course, Rachel McAdams. The film follows a young girl who becomes enrolled in a prestigious academy that limits her free time. However, her retired aviator neighbor distracts her with the tale of the “Little Prince,” whom he met in the Sahara after crashing his plane.
Though the film’s box office scores were modest, the animation style and spirit of the film was highly praised.
Midnight In Paris (7.7)
Woody Allen’s fantasy comedy tells of a Hollywood writer named Gil who heads to Paris for a vacation with his fiancée, Inez. While walking the city one late night, however, he is swept back to the time of the Jazz Age, meeting the era’s biggest artists and writers. Though this is incredible to Gil at first, the more time he spends immersed in this distant culture, the more bored he becomes with the real world. Owen Wilson plays Gil while Rachel McAdams plays his fiancée, Inez.
The film was a hit with critics, who lauded Wilson’s performance, as well as Woody Allen’s script. Allen would go on to win the Academy Award for best original screenplay.
The Notebook (7.8)
This classic romantic drama tells the story of a rich girl, Allie, who falls in love with a poor boy, Noah, against the backdrop of 1940s South Carolina. Though the couple’s young love is magical at first, it is soon split apart by Allie’s disapproving parents after she moves away.
Allie eventually gets engaged to another man. However, after she learns Noah has restored a house they always dreamed of living in together, she decides to travel back to her hometown and see if there’s anything left of their love. While Ryan Gosling plays Noah, McAdams portrays Allie.
Critics were divided on the film, but it was a smash hit with romance fans everywhere. They were swept off their feet by the chemistry of the two young leads.
About Time (7.8)
This 2013 romantic comedy-drama tells the story of a young man, Tim, who learns that he and the other men in his family have been gifted with the ability to travel back in time. He uses this ability to make his romantic life turn out better, particularly after he meets the sweet and charming Mary. However, he soon learns that time travel has its limitations. While Domhnall Gleeson plays Tim Lake, Rachel McAdams portrays Mary — in her second beloved time traveling romance movie.
Though the film received mixed to positive critic reviews, audiences remained entranced by the captivating story.
Spotlight (8.1)
Topping off the list is Spotlight, a 2015 biographical drama about the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team that uncovered the truth behind the multiple cases of child abuse committed by priests in the Roman Catholic church. The all-star ensemble cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Brian d’Arcy James, and Rachel McAdams
Reactions to the film were overwhelmingly positive, with critics praising the way the drama carefully handled a difficult topic. The film ended up on many critics’ end-of-year top-ten lists and even won best picture at the Academy Awards.
