Rachel McAdams is one of modern Hollywood’s best leading ladies, with Send Help being a great reminder of her versatility as a performer. The Academy Award nominee made her debut in a minor role in The Hot Chick (2002), quickly cementing herself as a leading lady of the era in films like Wedding Crashers (2005) and The Family Stone (2005).
Even then, her romantic roles and performances in thrillers always hinted at a more complex performer than the typical leading actress. Since her debut, McAdams has spread her wings into several genres, always retaining her wit and charm regardless of the nature of the role. Going from her earliest days in Hollywood to her latest hit with Sam Raimi, here are the best Rachel McAdams movies and where you can watch them online on Disney+, Prime Video, and more!
10. The Notebook (2004)
One of the films that put Rachel McAdams on the map and solidified her place in the Hollywood ecosystem, The Notebook is the king of weepy romances that only works thanks to her performance alongside Ryan Gosling. A period-piece love story follows a lumber mill worker and an heiress who fall in love. McAdams is perfectly cast as the young ingenue who has to choose the society life she’s been raised to inherit or to follow her heart with the poor charmer.
While the film’s plot can be melodramatic to the point of self-parody at times, the central dynamic between McAdams and Gosling finds the wild abandon of romance without losing touch with the reality of the situation. Similar in spirit to other bittersweet romance stories like Big Fish (2003) or Dear John (2012), The Notebook thrives because of its pitch-perfect casting, which highlighted early on what kind of star power Rachel McAdams possessed. While it’s far from her most compelling film and it can suffer from the melodrama, it’s still a great early showcase of what makes McAdams special.
9. About Time (2013)
The definition of a “love it or hate it” movie, About Time’s central charms are similar to The Notebook, but gives McAdams more to play with. The film largely focuses on Domhnall Gleeson's Tim, a young man who finds out from his father that all the men in his family have the ability to time-travel. Using this power, Tim makes sure his romance with Mary goes just right—only to discover the drawbacks of the power force him to consider the weight of his choices and the impact even minor actions can have on the world.
About Time’s inherent premise can be problematic if you look at it with a harsher tone—The Twilight Zone (2019) actually did a really dark plot about a similar situation, but focused on the woman’s side of this kind of story—but there’s also an interesting amount of self-reflection and regret baked into the film, which is embodied by Gleeson’s unique dynamic with McAdams. Similar to The Time-Traveler's Wife (2009) and My Old Ass (2024), the use of time-travel in a romance plot offers some intriguing perspectives on the nature of romance, all grounded by one of Hollywood’s most charming modern leading ladies. Those slightly dubious moments drop it below some of her other films, but it’s still a compellingly creative take on a romance story.
8. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
Adapting the iconic Judy Blume novel of the same name was always going to be tricky, but Rachel McAdams and the cast of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. find a beautifully understated way to make the story feel timeless and grounded at the same time. Setting the story in 1970, the film highlights the growth of Margaret into a young woman, but also gives McAdams a surprisingly meaty supporting role as her mother, Barbara.
The film retains the frank realism and natural charm of the original novel, with a soft edge that makes it feel perfect for anyone who’s growing up—or discovering there's still plenty of growing up to do even when you're an adult. While it might not have all the snarky spark of some of McAdams' other films, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. is a great all-ages film about a point in life that everyone has to confront eventually. While the slight elements can make it feel less essential than some of McAdams’ other movies, it’s still a delightful little story.
7. Doctor Strange (2016)
An intriguing entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that only grows more creative and innovative as it goes along, the supernatural Doctor Strange gives McAdams a chance to add some depth to the typical superhero love interest archetype. Playing Dr. Christine Palmer opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange, McAdams creates a character who is capable and empathetic, but still wholly human in her feelings and frustrations.
While McAdams gets more to play with (and two versions of the character to play) in the sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), the first film has a clearer emotional core and moral arc to Christine’s role in Stephen’s life as her own woman. McAdams gives her just enough emotion to keep the longing glances compelling, by taking the kind of dynamic that Pepper Potts shared with Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008) but taking it in a more complex, ultimately bittersweet direction that plays to her strengths as a charming romantic figure. A compelling take on familiar ground, Doctor Strange benefits from great casting and a clever third act.
6. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Speaking of Robert Downey Jr., the actor’s action-driven reimagining of Sherlock Holmes was blessed with a phenomenal cast, with Rachel McAdams standing out as a fun rendition of Irene Adler. The only woman to foil Sherlock in the original mysteries by Arthur Conan Doyle, Irene is updated alongside the rest of the film’s approach to be a full-blown femme fatale operating as the sly American Catwoman to Downey Jr.’s cool, calculating, and constantly put-upon version of the legendary detective.
McAdams has a lot of fun with the character, especially once she gets to actively be a part of the action in a twisty third arc. The biggest knock against the otherwise similarly fun Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) is her unceremonious departure from the story, a waste of the great blockbuster fun McAdams brings out the character in the first film. Sherlock Holmes might not have the complexity of McAdams’ best films, but it’s still a compelling blockbuster that rises above some of her other films through sheer entertainment value.
5. Red Eye (2005)
Wes Craven’s most grounded thriller is also one of his scariest, with Red Eye (2005) offering early evidence that McAdams was very suited to the horror genre. McAdams stars as Lisa, a hotel manager whose initially flirty interactions with a man on her flight become horrifying as he reveals his identity as a hitman—and threatens her to help him on a mission.
Similar to Collateral (2004) and Drop (2025), the film mines a lot of tension from the danger posed to a relatively realistic character. Red Eye has a great villainous turn from Cillian Murphy, and Craven’s tight direction heightens the claustrophobia of being on a plane. It’s all grounded by McAdams, who never lets her character become unbelievable even as she tries to figure out a way out of her situation. While the wonkier elements of the third act keep it from cracking the top of the list, Red Eye was a great early indicator of how well McAdams fit into this mold.
4. Game Night (2018)
One of the things that makes Rachel McAdams so memorable as an actor is her versatility in playing with tone and tenor—she’s great in horror films like Red Eye and romantic dramas like The Notebook, but she’s absolutely hilarious in comedies like Game Night (2018). McAdams stars opposite Jason Bateman as a married couple whose game night with friends becomes derailed by the involvement of a criminal conspiracy.
Annie is a great little comic creation, an enthusiastic contrast to her naturally exhausted husband, with a willingness to “play the game” as far as it’ll take her. McAdams has a great talent for taking Annie all across the emotional spectrum for the sake of a laugh, with her late-film celebration and then horror at a henchman’s fate standing out as one of the movie’s biggest laughs. Embracing the same kind of kooky tone that made Date Night (2010), Spy (2015), and Tag (2018) so much fun, Game Night benefits from a great cast that McAdams still manages to be a stand-out among. While the relative lack of thematic weight means it can’t quite surpass her best films, it’s a blast from start to end.
3. Spotlight (2015)
The film that earned Rachel McAdams an Oscar nomination, the absolutely gripping drama Spotlight, is a delicately paced masterwork in subtle performances. Alongside Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton, McAdams stars as a member of the Boston Globe’s staff whose investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church unearthed a sprawling web of lies meant to hide the church’s complicity in the crimes.
Based on a true story but brought to life in vivid detail by the committed and understated performances, Spotlight is a great movie based on a subject that could have been easily played up for melodramatic effect. Instead, the cast keeps everything deeply grounded in a way that makes the horror of the situation all the more painful to confront.The best of McAdams’ straight dramatic performances, the tonal blend of her two best movies give them a slight edge over this worthy award winner.
2. Send Help (2026)
Taking equal cues from the gross-out touches of his horror/comedy classic Evil Dead II (1986) and the harsh horror subtext of his underrated Drag Me to Hell (2009), Sam Raimi’s Send Help is a great showcase for Rachel McAdams and a reminder of just how good she is in a flexible role. Playing the overworked and underappreciated office oddball, McAdams’ Linda gets to experience the ultimate power flip with her awful boss when they’re the only survivors on a desert island, and it’s her survival skills that are keeping them alive.
McAdams does a great job embodying every part of Linda, good and bad, as she goes from sympathetic to complex to horrifying all within the confines of a single scene. It’s a tricky character that shouldn’t work, but McAdams keeps it all centered around an unwelcome and unexpectedly brutal desperation that becomes more compelling as the movie goes along. It’s only thanks to McAdams’ great performance that Linda doesn’t teeter over the side into caricature, and this speaks to her skills. A great performance that anchors an entire movie, Send Help only suffers in comparison to one of the best comic creations of the 21st century.
1. Mean Girls (2004)
One of the best comedies of the 21st century, Mean Girls was Rachel McAdams’ big break—and one of the most memorable performances of her career. The film focuses on a regular high school in early 2000s culture, with Lindsay Lohan’s new student absorbed into a popular clique run by McAdams’, Regina George.
A comedy villain for the ages, McAdams plays the conniving it girl with a malicious and purposeful over-dramatic edge that makes for terrific line deliveries and unforgettable punchlines. It’s hard to describe Regina without just quoting her. McAdams has lots of great movies under her belt, but Mean Girls—whose DNA can still be seen in high school films like Juno (2007), Easy A (2010), The Edge of Seventeen (2016), and Booksmart (2019)—remains a major highlight of a strong career, and therefore lands the #1 spot on this list.
