Rachel Anne McAdams

2010's Morning Glory, a comedy about a television producer's attempt to improve the ratings of an ailing morning television program, was billed as a starring vehicle for the actress but was only a modest commercial success. McAdams' performance was widely praised. Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times said she "gives the kind of performance we go to the movies for". Roger Ebert felt she played "as lovable a lead as anyone since Amy Adams in Junebug" in an otherwise "routine" movie. The New York Post was impressed by "her gift for physical comedy" while Variety was won over by a "flustery physicality that is delightful to watch". While The New York Times felt she "plays her role exceptionally well" and is "effortlessly likable", it called on Hollywood to give her parts "worthy" of her talent. "Ms. McAdams has to rely on her dimples to get by. She does, but she could do better."
McAdams' first film of 2011, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, opened the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and saw her reunite with Wedding Crashers' Owen Wilson. Allen wrote the part of Inez for her on the recommendation of her former co-star Diane Keaton. It has become Allen's top grossing picture ever in North America and was lauded by critics. However, there were mixed reactions to McAdams' shrewish character. The Guardian bemoaned that she "has morphed from the sweet thing in Wedding Crashers to the dream-crushing bitch that, according to American comedies, women become once they ensnare their man". Richard Corliss of TIME was equally disappointed: "Allen pours an immense amount of odium on Inez.. I felt sorry for McAdams, whose usually winning presence is ground into hostile chiché." However, The Los Angeles Times felt she "deftly handles a part that is less amiable than usual for her" and The New York Times found her "superbly speeded-up".
Her second screen appearance of 2011 will be a cameo role in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, set for release on December 16, 2011. The lead female role will now be played by Noomi Rapace.
She will star in two films in 2012. The Vow, a romantic drama with Channing Tatum, is due out Valentine's Day 2012. Based on a true story, it focuses on a newlywed couple's struggle following a car accident that leaves the wife with severe memory loss. The tentatively titled The Burial, a Terrence Malick ensemble piece, has been picked up by a distributor and there is unconfirmed speculation that it will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It is understood that she plays the lover of Ben Affleck in a romantic drama which also features Javier Bardem and Rachel Weisz.