10 Underrated Christina Hendricks Movies You Must See

Christina Hendricks is best known for her breakout work on the TV series ‘Mad Men’, yet her filmography stretches across bold indies, genre thrillers, and distinctive animation. She has taken on lead roles, pivotal supporting turns, and memorable voice performances that show range across drama, horror, mystery, and fantasy. These projects also connect her with an impressive roster of directors and collaborators who shaped some striking on screen worlds.

If you know her only from ‘Mad Men’, this list is a useful map to the films where she adds essential texture and presence. You will find projects that premiered at major festivals, feature acclaimed craft teams, and pair her with notable co stars. Each entry includes the essentials on what she plays, who made the film, and how the production came together.

‘Lost River’ (2014)

Ryan Gosling directs this dark fable, with Christina Hendricks starring as Billy, a single mother trying to hold her family together. The cast includes Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan, Ben Mendelsohn, Matt Smith, and Eva Mendes, with cinematography by Benoît Debie. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section and filmed on location in Detroit neighborhoods.

The score is by Johnny Jewel, whose atmospheric synth work helps define the tone. Production used extensive practical locations around Michigan, and the film reached audiences through a limited theatrical run and video on demand release in the United States. Hendricks anchors the story with a performance centered on a parent navigating a decaying community.

‘Detachment’ (2011)

Tony Kaye directs this ensemble drama set inside a public high school, where Christina Hendricks plays Ms. Sarah Madison, a dedicated teacher. Adrien Brody leads the cast with Marcia Gay Harden, James Caan, Lucy Liu, and Sami Gayle in key roles. The screenplay is by Carl Lund, and the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The production shot in the New York area and was released in the United States by Tribeca Film. Classrooms, hallways, and administrative offices were built and dressed to mirror an urban school environment. Hendricks’s character intersects with Brody’s substitute teacher during a series of faculty crises that drive the narrative.

‘Ginger & Rosa’ (2012)

Sally Potter directs this coming of age story set in London, with Christina Hendricks as Natalie, the mother of Elle Fanning’s Ginger. The cast includes Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Annette Bening, Timothy Spall, and Oliver Platt. The production was supported by UK partners including BBC Films and filmed on period appropriate locations across the city.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and saw its United States release through A24. Costuming and design teams recreated early sixties London to frame the family’s domestic life and political anxieties. Hendricks’s role situates the family’s tensions inside a household under pressure, which shapes the choices that propel the plot.

‘The Neon Demon’ (2016)

Nicolas Winding Refn directs this fashion world thriller, featuring Christina Hendricks as Roberta Hoffmann, a modeling agent who sizes up new talent. Elle Fanning leads the cast with Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee, Keanu Reeves, and Karl Glusman. Cinematography is by Natasha Braier, and the electronic score is by Cliff Martinez.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and shot throughout Los Angeles using real studios, runways, and hillside homes. In the United States, Amazon Studios partnered with Broad Green Pictures for the theatrical release. Hendricks appears in key agency scenes that introduce the industry mechanics governing the protagonist’s rapid ascent.

‘Dark Places’ (2015)

Gilles Paquet Brenner adapts the Gillian Flynn novel, with Christina Hendricks portraying Patty Day, the mother at the center of the family tragedy that drives the mystery. The ensemble includes Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Chloë Grace Moretz, Tye Sheridan, and Corey Stoll. The story moves between present day investigation and earlier events on a rural farm.

Production took place in Louisiana with a release strategy that combined a DirecTV Cinema window ahead of theatrical rollout in the United States through A24. Sets and locations recreated Midwestern interiors, farm fields, and small town spaces to support the alternating timelines. Hendricks’s scenes establish crucial backstory that the investigation later revisits.

‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’ (2018)

Johannes Roberts directs this sequel to ‘The Strangers’, with Christina Hendricks as Cindy, the mother in a family forced to confront three masked intruders. The cast includes Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, and Lewis Pullman, and the production uses a secluded mobile home community as its primary setting.

Filming took place in Kentucky using night shoots across an abandoned park and surrounding roads. Aviron Pictures handled United States distribution with a wide theatrical release. Hendricks’s role shapes the family dynamic during the initial encounters and sets the stakes for the siblings who drive the later action.

‘Crooked House’ (2017)

Gilles Paquet Brenner directs this adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel, with Christina Hendricks as Brenda Leonides, a key member of the wealthy Leonides family. The cast features Max Irons, Glenn Close, Gillian Anderson, Terence Stamp, and Stefanie Martini. The plot follows a private detective who investigates a murder inside a sprawling estate.

The production filmed in the United Kingdom, using historic homes and detailed costume design to reflect upper class life. The screenplay condenses the source material while keeping the core suspects and clues intact. Hendricks’s character factors into shifting family alliances that drive the detective’s interviews and deductions.

‘Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy’ (2014)

Peggy Holmes directs this animated entry in the Disney Fairies series, with Christina Hendricks voicing Zarina, a dust keeper who experiments with pixie dust and joins a pirate crew. The voice cast includes Mae Whitman as Tinker Bell and Tom Hiddleston as a young James Hook, and the film expands the series’ world with new locations and shipboard sequences.

Produced by DisneyToon Studios, the film received a limited theatrical event in select territories and a home media release in the United States. The animation team designed specialized effects for color shifted dust and airborne action inside cavernous spaces. Hendricks’s vocal performance frames Zarina’s curiosity and ambition as the plot’s engine.

‘Drive’ (2011)

Nicolas Winding Refn directs this Los Angeles crime drama, with Christina Hendricks as Blanche, a character connected to a heist that pushes events toward a violent collision. The principal cast includes Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, and Ron Perlman. The film is based on the novel by James Sallis.

The production used real locations across Los Angeles and practical stunt driving coordinated for night sequences. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where Refn received the Best Director award, and it was released in the United States by FilmDistrict. Cliff Martinez composed the score, which complements the city’s neon and after hours settings.

‘EGG’ (2019)

Marianna Palka directs this chamber drama written by Risa Mickenberg, with Christina Hendricks starring alongside Alysia Reiner and Anna Camp. The story focuses on two couples who gather for an evening and examine shifting ideas about parenthood, work, and partnership. The film relies on extended dialogue and careful blocking to build momentum inside a single space.

The production shot in New York with a small crew and a compressed schedule, which emphasized performance and design over large scale logistics. The film screened on the festival circuit before North American distribution through Gravitas Ventures. Hendricks’s character sits at the center of the gathering and helps set the conversational stakes that frame the ethical debate.

Share your favorite Christina Hendricks film roles in the comments and let everyone know which hidden gems you plan to watch next.