Movie · 2023 · Drama, History · 2h · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 4.0/10 (168.9K ratings)
Witness the incredible true story.
Overview
Athlete Diana Nyad sets out at 60 to achieve a nearly impossible lifelong dream: to swim from Cuba to Florida across more than 100 miles of open ocean.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.0/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.32/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 63
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Production
Black Bear Pictures, Mad Chance, SPG3 Entertainment, Zurich Avenue
Cast
Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Ethan Jones Romero, Luke Cosgrove, Jeena Yi, Eric T. Miller, Anne Marie Kempf, Carolyn McCormick, Marcos Diaz, Belle Darling, Pearl Darling, Johnny Solo, Anna Harriette Pittman, Hanler Rodríguez, Harraka Eliana, Marcella Acuña Báez, Sophia Hernandez, Katherine Klosterman, Toussaint Merionne
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
An earnest, awards-minded endurance drama anchored by strong performances from Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. It works best as a character study about obsession, aging, and the stubborn pursuit of impossible goals, though the film’s conventional structure and selective storytelling can feel overly polished and a little evasive.
Best for
Viewers who like inspirational true stories with prestige-drama framing
Fans of performance-driven films centered on complicated women
Audiences interested in endurance sports, aging, and obsession
People who enjoy emotionally direct, crowd-pleasing awards films
Skip if
You want a deeply nuanced or morally complicated biopic
You dislike inspirational sports dramas or Oscar-bait structure
You prefer high-tension survival films over reflective character pieces
You need a film that fully interrogates its subject’s controversies
Overview
NYAD is built around a simple, almost old-fashioned premise: a woman refuses to let age, doubt, or common sense end her dream. The movie’s pleasures come less from suspense than from watching Annette Bening and Jodie Foster spar, support, and needle each other through a story that is as much about willpower as it is about swimming.
Worth noting
The film is polished and accessible, but also a little too eager to smooth over the rough edges of its subject. That makes it emotionally effective in the moment while leaving some viewers wanting more complexity, especially given the real-life controversies surrounding Diana Nyad’s legacy.
Bottom line
Still, as a showcase for two veteran actors and a study in relentless self-mythmaking, it has real appeal. If you respond to inspirational dramas that are carried by performance and persistence rather than surprise, this one lands well enough to recommend with reservations.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Eddie @ The Cottage (2★) · 2731 likes
This is probably the mommiest mom movie that ever be mom'ed that will be loved by every mom ever
mark (3.5★) · 2549 likes
don’t dare to doubt a dyke with a dream
Michael Roberts (4★) · 2156 likes
jodie foster throwing back Diet Cokes in a sports bra had me so giddy
Brian Duffield · 1202 likes
I would simply choose a less ambitious hobby
demi adejuyigbe · 1152 likes
watched this while developing film negatives. really good movie to watch while you do anything else that requires dedicated attention.
obvious why academy voters gave this awards recognition (closest thing we get to motivation or reason is "everybody thinks she's too OLD to do it!") but still actually insane given that both annette and jodie don't really do much and that nyad does not come out of this seeming very likable. confounding how weirdly this movie is crafted. nevertheless, im… more