Frances McDormand Filmography

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Crew: Executive Producer

Actors: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciarán Hinds, Shirley Henderson

Synopsis: A late-'30s-era London governess hired to work in the home of a high-profile nightclub chanteuse gets a taste of the good life when she is assigned the task of sorting out the singer's many unseemly affairs in a period comedy starring Frances McDormand and adapted from the novel by Winifred Read More

Friends With Money

Actors: Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, Jason Isaacs

Synopsis: A single woman envies the security of her married friends, while they in turn dream of her freedom in this comedy drama. Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is a single woman in her mid-thirties who feels she's reached a crossroads in her life. Unhappy with her career as a teacher, Olivia quits and takes a Read More

Aeon Flux

Actors: Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Okonedo, Frances McDormand

Synopsis: Based on the animated series by Peter Chung, Aeon Flux imagines a future in which 99 percent of the world's population is killed through industrial disease, and the survivors live in a single city that, despite utopian appearances, is quite totalitarian. Disinclined to embrace any particular Read More

North Country

Actors: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean, Richard Jenkins, Jeremy Renner, Michelle Monaghan, Woody Harrelson, Sissy Spacek

Synopsis: A fictionalized account of one of America's most groundbreaking sexual harassment lawsuits comes to the screen in this hard-hitting drama. In the late '80s, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) fled her abusive husband, and needed to find a way to support her two children. Aimes returned to her hometown Read More

Something's Gotta Give

Actors: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau

Synopsis: In keeping with the light and slick tones of her earlier film What Women Want, Nancy Meyers writes and directs the romantic comedy Something's Gotta Give. Jack Nicholson plays Harry Langer, a swinging sixtysomething entertainment executive surrounded by plenty of young girlfriends. His latest Read More

Laurel Canyon

Actors: Lou Barlow, Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Kate Beckinsale, Natascha McElhone, Alessandro Nivola

Synopsis: Writer/director Lisa Cholodenko follows up her much-acclaimed 1997 debut High Art with this examination of a young couple seduced into a hedonistic, left-coast lifestyle. Taking its title from its central locale, Laurel Canyon focuses on a pair of upper-middle class lovebirds from the East Coast Read More

City by the Sea

Actors: Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku

Synopsis: A man struggling to come to terms with the sins of his father makes the terrible discovery that his own son has fallen into a life of crime in a drama based on a true story. Vincent LaMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a dedicated and well-respected New York City police detective who has gone to great Read More

Searching for Debra Winger

Actors: Patricia Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, Emmanuelle Béart, Katrin Cartlidge, Laura Dern

Synopsis: Directed by actress Rosanna Arquette, this candid documentary is not only about the iconoclastic and somewhat reclusive film star Debra Winger (who does not even appear onscreen until an hour into the film), but also about the trials and tribulations of actresses in Hollywood who have reached Read More

The Man Who Wasn't There

Actors: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Tony Shalhoub

Synopsis: Set in a sleepy Northern California town in the 1940s, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There stars Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane, a humble barber who suspects his hard-hearted and hard-drinking wife Doris (Frances McDormand) of having an affair with her boss (James Gandolfini). When Read More

Almost Famous

Actors: Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Zooey Deschanel

Synopsis: Writer and director Cameron Crowe's experiences as a teenage rock journalist -- he was a regular contributor to Rolling Stone while still in high school -- inspired this coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy hitting the road with an up-and-coming rock band in the early 1970s. Elaine Miller Read More

Wonder Boys

Actors: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey, Jr., Katie Holmes

Synopsis: In this comedy, a middle-aged man juggles his problems with women, literature, and a career, while a younger man chases the artifact of his dreams. Pittsburgh college professor Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is currently single following his divorce from his third wife; after publishing an Read More

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

Actors: Andre Braugher, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances McDormand, Stanley Tucci

Synopsis: Documentary filmmaker Barak Goodman explores the famed Scottsboro case of 1931. That year, nine black males, aged 13 to 19, were tried, convicted, and almost executed for raping two white women of dubious reliability. The case soon became an international cause célèbre and proved to be a catalyst Read More

Talk of Angels

Actors: Polly Walker, Vincent Perez, Franco Nero, Marisa Paredes, Leire Berrocal

Synopsis: Nick Hamm directed this historical romantic drama, rated PG-13 "for some politically motivated violence." The period prior to the Spanish Civil War provides the background setting for the arrival in Spain of young Irish governess Mary Lavelle (Polly Walker) who begins a year of employment with the Read More

Johnny Skidmarks

Actors: Peter Gallagher, Frances McDormand, John Lithgow, Geoffrey Lower, Jack Black

Synopsis: Scripter John Raffo made his directorial debut with this noir-slanted mystery thriller about free-lance crime-scene photographer Johnny Scardino (Peter Gallagher) and recovering alcoholic Alice (Frances McDormand). Scardino takes blackmail pictures of well-to-do types in rundown motels. After the Read More

Madeline

Actors: Rachel Dennis, Pilar Garrard, Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne, Hatty Jones, Ben Daniels, Arturo Venegas, Kristian de la Osa

Synopsis: Daisy von Sherler Mayer directed this family film, an adaptation of the famed book series that Austrian-born writer-illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) launched in 1939 with the opening lines, "In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight Read More

Paradise Road

Actors: Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, Cate Blanchett, Frances McDormand, Julianna Margulies

Synopsis: Based on the testimony of survivors, this historical drama recounts the WWII heroism of female prisoners of war. (Glenn Close) stars as Adrienne Partiger, a society doyenne who flees Singapore with other expatriate women, mostly the wives of servicemen, when Japanese forces invade in 1942. When Read More

Hidden in America

Actors: Beau Bridges, Jena Malone, Shelton Dane, Bruce Davison, Frances McDormand

Synopsis: This moving drama explores a real, but often hidden American problem, hunger. It tells the story of how a lay-off destroys the life of a widower father and his children, reducing them to dire poverty. Part of the problem is that the man is too proud to accept welfare monies. Fortunately, a caring Read More

Primal Fear

Actors: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Alfre Woodard

Synopsis: A high-profile slaying becomes the case of an ambitious attorney's career in this legal thriller based on the novel by William Diehl. Richard Gere stars as Martin Vail, a famed defense lawyer who volunteers his services to Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a Kentucky teenager charged with the murder Read More

Fargo

Actors: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell

Synopsis: Filmmaking siblings Joel Coen and Ethan Coen both embraced and poked satirical fun at their rural Minnesota roots with this comedy-drama-thriller that earned seven Oscar nominations, winning for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. Frances McDormand stars as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Read More

Lone Star

Actors: Miriam Colon, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Morton, Ron Canada, Clifton James, Kris Kristofferson

Synopsis: Reminiscent of a fine novel in depth and complexity, writer-director John Sayles' acclaimed drama uses the investigation of a 25-year-old murder as the framework for a detailed exploration of life in a Texas border town. The nominal center of the film is Sheriff Sam Deeds (the superb, subtle Chris Cooper Read More

Beyond Rangoon

Actors: Patricia Arquette, Frances McDormand, Spalding Gray, Victor Slezak

Synopsis: In a role originally intended for Meg Ryan, Patricia Arquette plays Dr. Laura Bowman in director John Boorman's film of an American abroad in a strange country. It's 1988 and Laura is desperate to flee the United States and the memory of her husband and son's murders. Accompanied by her sister Read More

Palookaville

Actors: William Forsythe, Vincent Gallo, Adam Trese, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Frances McDormand

Synopsis: Three likable losers attempt "a momentary shift in lifestyle" by becoming part-time thieves in this comedy. Russ (Vincent Gallo) is living with his family, who don't get along especially well, and he fools around with the teenage girl who lives next door. Jerry (Adam Trese) is married to Betty (Linda Gay Hamilton Read More

The Good Old Boys

Actors: Tommy Lee Jones, Terry Kinney, Frances McDormand, Sam Shepard, Sissy Spacek

Synopsis: Tommy Lee Jones made his directorial debut in this made-for-television movie about an aging cowboy dealing with the changing face of the West. Jones stars as Hewey Calloway, a cowboy who has roamed the West for years, who suddenly finds himself at a crossroads -- torn between the freedom of his Read More

Short Cuts

Actors: Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Tim Robbins, Chris Penn, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jack Lemmon, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey, Jr., Madeleine Stowe, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher, Annie Ross, Lori Singer, Lyle Lovett, Buck Henry, Huey Lewis

Synopsis: Based on stories by Raymond Carver, Short Cuts follows 22 Los Angeles residents whose lives intersect over the course of a few days. Ann and Howard Finnegan (Andie MacDowell and Bruce Davison) are preparing for their son Casey's birthday party when the boy is injured in an auto accident and falls Read More

Passed Away

Actors: Bob Hoskins, Jack Warden, William L. Petersen, Maureen Stapleton, Helen Lloyd Breed, Patricia Reed

Synopsis: In this black comedy, elderly Jack Scanlan (Jack Warden) passes away just as he's about to tell his oldest son Johnny (Bob Hoskins) what he's decided is truly important in life, which does little to ease Johnny's mid-life anxieties. Jack's funeral and the subsequent wake brings together the Read More

Crazy in Love

Synopsis: Set amidst the glorious greens and blues of one of the many islands of Washington's Puget Sound, this made-for-cable television family drama centers on three generations of women and their lovers. The main story centers on one insecure bride who though madly in love with her spouse, still cannot Read More

The Butcher's Wife

Actors: Demi Moore, Jeff Daniels, George Dzundza, Mary Steenburgen, Frances McDormand

Synopsis: As a clairvoyant, Demi Moore awaits signs from beyond that her true love, whomever he may be, is waiting for her, somewhere. When New York butcher George Dzundza shows up on the tiny North Carolina island where Demi lives, she is convinced that he is the man predestined to be her husband. After Read More

Hidden Agenda

Actors: Frances McDormand, Brian Cox, Brad Dourif, Mai Zetterling, Bernard Archard, Bernard Bloch

Synopsis: This political thriller is set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland's "Troubles" and directed in the documentary fashion common to British filmmaker Ken Loach's films. Paul Sullivan (Brad Dourif) and Ingrid Jessner (Frances McDormand) are American attorneys serving on a human rights group Read More

Miller's Crossing

Actors: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, John Turturro

Synopsis: Joel and Ethan Coen's third collaboration, the gangster film Miller's Crossing, stars Gabriel Byrne as Tom Reagan, the right-hand man of big-city Irish mob boss Leo (Albert Finney). The film opens with Italian mobster Johnny Caspar (Jon Polito) and his second in command Eddie Dane (J.E. Freeman) Read More

Darkman

Actors: Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake, Nelson Mashita

Synopsis: Neglecting Julie (Frances McDormand), his lawyer lady friend, Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) works feverishly to perfect his latest invention -- artificial skin that could be used to treat burn victims. Peyton himself falls victim to an explosion when one of Julie's crooked clients sends his Read More

Chattahoochee

Actors: Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Frances McDormand, Pamela Reed, Ned Beatty

Synopsis: Since Chattahoochee is a story based on true events, it may seem absurd to suggest that the actual events of Chattahoochee are pirated from other true-life tales like Gideon's Trumpet. But it certainly seems as if true stories are just as derivative as any fictional narrative coming out of Read More

Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo

Synopsis: In this suspenseful drama, a bereaved bricklayer vows to avenge the brutal murder of his parents. The killer is brought in, but is not given the death penalty. The young man then decides to take matters into his own hands. He oversteps the law and eventually begins to question his actions. Read More

Mississippi Burning

Actors: Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif, R. Lee Ermey

Synopsis: Mississippi Burning is an all-names-changed dramatization of the Ku Klux Klan's murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. Investigating the mysterious disappearances of the three activists are FBI agents Gene Hackman (older, wiser) and Willem Dafoe (younger, idealistic). A Southerner himself Read More

Raising Arizona

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe

Synopsis: Combining influences from Tex Avery cartoons to Sam Raimi horror movies to 1940s B-movies, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen followed up the stylish film noir of their debut, Blood Simple (1984), with this frantic screwball comedy. H.I. "Hi" McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) is a philosophical but slightly dim Read More

Hunter: The Garbage Man

Synopsis: Married...With Children's Ed O'Neill guest stars as parole officer Dan Colson, an old pal of Detective Sgt. Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer). Unfortunately, the pressures of having to deal with the scum of the earth (to say nothing of enduring the murder of a close friend) have pushed Colson off the deep Read More

Scandal Sheet

Actors: Lauren Hutton, Pamela Reed, Robert Urich, Burt Lancaster

Synopsis: Burt Lancaster is eminently hissable as a tabloid publisher in the made-for-TV Scandal Sheet. The current target of Lancaster's smears is alcoholic actor Robert Urich, who is on the verge of making a comeback through the auspices of his movie-star wife Lauren Hutton. Ruthlessly going after Urich Read More

Blood Simple

Actors: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams

Synopsis: In the first film of brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, M. Emmett Walsh plays Visser, an unscrupulous private eye hired by Texas bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) to murder Marty's faithless wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her paramour, Ray (John Getz), one of Marty's employees. But Visser is no more Read More