Regina George has to be one of the most iconic and most quoted characters there's ever been; we'll never be able to thank Rachel McAdams enough for giving her to us!
All we can do is wish her a very happy birthday, and have a look at some of her best movies. She has seriously played some iconic roles in her day, so this wasn't easy, but we managed to create a pretty concise list.
Mean Girls (2004)
Where: Netflix
We normally don't play favourites, but we're just going to come out and say this is our fave. How could it not be? McAdams plays Queen Bee and Plastics leader Regina George, a blonde haired teen who's "fabulous but evil". When Cady Herron (Lindsay Lohan) moves from Africa to Illinois, she is convinced by new friends Damian (Daniel Franzese) and Janice (Lizzy Caplan) to infiltrate Regina George and The Plastics, who are essentially school royalty. Cady agrees, but soon finds herself enjoying the perks of being Plastic.
About Time (2013)
Where: Now TV
If you've never seen
About Time, please make it a priority. This movies does not get the recognition it deserves. Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) finds out that the time travelling gene runs in his family, and soon begins exercising this new ability. When he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), the time travelling comes in handy so he can woo her. This movie is romantic, sweet, funny, and is the ultimate feel good flick. Romcom lovers have to give it a go.
Spotlight (2015)
Where: Netflix
This is a difficult movie to watch, but an important one. McAdams works on the Spotlight team amongst other writers (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton) to pursue a story about child molestation in one of the local churches. What the team uncovers is much more than they originally bargained for. McAdams does a great job, and this movie won an Academy Award for Best Picture.
The Notebook (2004)
Where: Netflix
McAdams stars alongside Ryan Gosling in this love story for the ages. How she managed to pull off two stellar performances in one year I'll never know. 2004 was clearly a good year for cinema. Allie (McAdams) and Noah (Gosling) fall in love as teenagers despite their varying social status. Allie goes off to college, and Noah joins the war effort, but in the years they're apart they never stop thinking of each other. This movie just does not get old. If you're a bird, I'm a bird,
right?? (Crying.)
The Time Traveller's Wife (2009)
Where: Netflix
This film had a bit of a revival this year when it arrived on Netflix. Based on the 2003 Audrey Niffenegger novel, McAdams marries Henry (Eric Bana) a librarian who can time travel (poor gal always meeting men with time travelling abilities). Unlike in
About Time though, Henry has no control over his abilities, jumping both backwards and forwards in time against his will. While the movie certainly has its flaws, our girl Rachel does an excellent job, and given its popularity over lockdown, we had to give it a mention.
Honourable Mentions:
Wedding Crashers (2005),
Southpaw (2015), and
Game Night (2018) are all runners up. Plus, we're hoping her appearance in
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) will exceed her short screen time in the first film.
Header image via Shutterstock
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