Frances McDormand is one of the most consistent actresses of the modern generation. Having won two Oscars, she is always reliable to bring unforgettable performances that speak of strong women and empowered mothers with moral compasses they preserve, in spite of the hostile nature around them.
In honor of her impressive career, these are the most iconic of Frances McDormand’s performances. These scenes could range from drama heavyweights to lighter romps that are specifically made for kids. Rest assured, each will make jaws drop or enthrall for how great she is!
MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED: Non, je ne regrette rien
Despite her strong filmography in critically acclaimed but otherwise smaller indie films, McDormand also has a few big-budgeted hits on her resumé. While Aeonflux and Transformers: Dark of the Moon were questionable to say the least, her best blockbuster effort is from Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted as the crazy animal control Captain Chantal DuBois, where she aimed to take Alex’s head as a trophy.
She got apprehended but broke out of jail easily, making it to the hospital where her injured men were stuck in. She then revived their broken morale by singing Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regretted rien." That scene alone, with McDormand actually singing in her French accent combined with the eccentric animation, sums up her over-the-top performance.
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY: Arm in Arm
In this period piece, McDormand plays a former governess who was referred to serve as a social secretary to actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), who has a revolving door of suitors. While serving her, Guinevere Pettigrew was given a makeover and introduced to charismatic Joe Blomfield (Ciaran Hinds).
Like Burn After Reading, this is another loose McDormand performance, where she got to play screwball with Adams. But while those scenes are hilarious, her moments with Blomfield are heartily sweet. The last scene of Blomfield finding a burned-out Pettigrew in a train station and walking hand-in-hand with her is the icing of the sweet cake.
MOONRISE KINGDOM: The Reconciliation
On her first collaboration with Wes Anderson, McDormand plays the Bishop family matriarch, Laura Bishop, who is perturbed how her daughter Suzy would run away from home. This came untimely on her rift with her husband Walt (Bill Murray), a lawyer like her, who has been so unreliable in just about everything that she found an ambiguous connection in Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis).
Her being the moral compass that her family needs gives enough levity for such a poignant coming-of-age story. Mrs. Bishop’s best moment comes from the bedroom scene, where she apologized to Walt from across her single bed while he sat on his own separate bed.
BLOOD SIMPLE: Kicking Marty in the Shins
For her film debut and the first of many Coen Brothers collaborations, Frances McDormand plays Abby in the brothers' directorial debut Blood Simple. Here, she's the wife of the abusive bar owner Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya), who bonds with a bartender named Ray (John Getz). Her exploits with Ray led her to fall for him even more, and for Marty to hire a private detective to expose the affair.
In his attempt to “take her back," Marty grabs her by the body, against her will. Abby tries to fight him off, ultimately knocking him on the shins. That hit made Marty hurl on the ground and retreat. Now that's a woman who is difficult to mess with!
BURN AFTER READING: Chad Explains The Contents Of The CD
Whenever McDormand is in a Coen Brothers movie, she will give it her all, whether her role is big or small. For Burn After Reading, she plays Linda Litzke, a dimwitted gym caretaker who, along with her equally dimwitted coworker Chad (Brad Pitt), finds a CD filled with classified CIA information and gets embroiled in a convoluted blackmail conspiracy involving retired CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), his wife, and the guy his wife is sleeping with.
This is one of McDormand’s loosest performances to date. It's obvious she had quite a lot of fun here, especially in the scene where Chad discovered the CD and tried to explain its contents mindlessly. The aghast face she makes while trying to understand his nonsensical jabber is golden.
RAISING ARIZONA: “He’s An Angel!”
There are two extreme sides of Frances McDormand's acting: the quirky, offbeat side and the serious, burning passionate one. Raising Arizona had McDormand at her quirkiest as Dot, Glen’s overeager wife (and a swinger) who came across H.I. McDunnough and partner Edwina and was introduced to Junior.
Her upbeat personality seemed alien to H.I. and Ed. Though her part is little more than an extended cameo, McDormand stole every scene she was in. That is why in the scene where Dot sees Junior for the first time, she was so surprised to take a glance that she covered her eyes from such a cute angel.
ALMOST FAMOUS: The Phone Conversation
In this Cameron Crowe hit after Jerry Maguire, McDormand inhabits the powerful mother in her as the caring Elaine Miller, who employs strict methods to her child prodigy son William (Patrick Fugit). Her small part as the single mother to her son, who got a Rolling Stone writing gig, allowed her to own every scene.
This is apparent in the phone conversation, when Russell (Billy Crudup) interrupts William’s phone call and rather than berate them at that moment, she tells him: “It’s not too late for you to become a person of substance, Russell. Please get my son home safely.”
MISSISSIPPI BURNING: The Origins Of Hatred
Mississippi Burning centers on two FBI agents who investigate the disappearance of three civil rights workers amidst the aggression between the county’s residents and the Ku Klux Klan. Though the film may be infamous for its cross-burning scene, its performances cannot be underestimated, especially McDormand’s.
Her role as Mrs. Pell got her in the cusp of laxity, where she stood on her own morale. This is demonstrated in her monologue where she believed, “Hatred isn’t something you’re born with. It gets taught.” However, this stance is what led to her husband beating her. No matter what, it is powerful.
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI: Kicking Two Shins
For the role that won her a second Oscar, McDormand knocks it out as Mildred Hayes, the mother of rape-and-murder victim Angela (Kathryn Newton) who set up three billboards to bring to the attention of Chief Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). Every scene she in is iconic in any way, from her moment with a deer and her confrontation with her ex-husband (John Hawkes).
But the most memorable scene and most on-brand with Martin McDonagh’s works is the part where after getting a beer can thrown at her, she kicks not one but two teenagers on their shins. This is, without a doubt, a badass moment.
FARGO: The Ending Monologue
McDormand would always give hearty monologues as her characters carry a clear moral compass. Her best role as Marge Gunderson was the heart and center for Fargo, a film filled with corrupt figures and devious masterminds that got her trying to tie all loose ends. Her wild goose chase over the case of Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) ended her up on Gaear Grimsurd (Peter Stormare) as he was placing a body in a woodchipper.
After she arrested him, Marge gave this food for thought: “There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’t you know that?” Grimsurd's silence following Marge’s speech is a somber moment that will be etched in cinema forever.