Nyad
Netflix | Release Date: October 20, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
15
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
ObserverRex ReedOct 23, 2023
The result of so much consecration and loyalty to the subject matter is a movie of uncommon exhilaration. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 18, 2023
The movie explores the real essence of determination, and it’s not what people imagine as they recite affirmations to themselves. Nyad shows us determination almost at a level of pathology, as a single-mindedness that could be considered sick, except that Nyad wasn’t delusional about her capacities. Read full review
91
ColliderIsabella SoaresSep 19, 2023
NYAD may use the well-known formula of the underdog eventually proving everyone wrong, but it doesn't feel that formulaic much due to the teamwork on screen and behind the scenes in this film. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonNov 2, 2023
Diana wants our respect — and by the end of the movie, she’s earned it. While she’s one of the prickliest protagonists you’ll see this year, she’s so raw and earnest and apologetically herself that you adore her anyway — from the safe distance of the screen. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeOct 22, 2023
It’s this – the wry humour provided by the long-suffering Bonnie; the lovely lived-in quality of the friendship – rather than the lengthy swimming sequences and a few slightly unwieldy flashbacks that gives the film its crowd-pleasing appeal. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 18, 2023
Audiences want to see Diana Nyad succeed, but the pleasure of the experience comes from watching actors become these characters. No matter how tricky such feats must have been to re-create, you get the impression that everyone involved was having a blast. Read full review
80
Vanity FairRichard LawsonSep 14, 2023
Vivid and bracing as the film’s swimming scenes are, Nyad crackles most when Nyad and Bonnie are grooving together on land. Bening and Foster have an inviting rapport, credibly playing old pals (and onetime lovers) who are in it for the long haul. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 20, 2023
A grueling, amusing and eventually inspiring bio-pic about the greatest long distance swimmer of them all. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 19, 2023
With Bening giving an all-in, nomination-worthy performance and Foster providing invaluable supporting work, Nyad is an effectively inspirational biopic. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleOct 19, 2023
Nyad is balanced between Diana’s admirably insane ambition and Bonnie’s loyal (up to a point) support for her friend. In any case, it’s a reminder, like a pail of cold water, of just how good Foster can be. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 18, 2023
Despite its over-credulous willingness to go along on what through one lens amounts to a massive ego trip, Nyad manages to be a celebration of perseverance, self-belief and learning how to be loved. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubManuel BetancourtOct 17, 2023
If, at the end of the day, Nyad feels like a well-oiled crowd-pleasing sports drama with a heartwarming (if slightly insidious) message about never giving up, that doesn’t blunt its impact. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineAbby OlceseNov 3, 2023
Adapted from Find a Way, Nyad’s book about her experience, Nyad is an inspiring tale of perseverance and refusing to give up on yourself. However, much like Free Solo, it’s also an exploration of the kind of person it takes to do what Nyad did at her age—and it’s often not a positive picture. Read full review
70
ABC NewsPeter TraversOct 20, 2023
It's frustrating that a movie about a woman who dares so much has a script that dares so little. But Annette Bening’s body-and-soul acting as marathon swimmer Diana Nyad and Jodie Foster’s brilliance as her dynamo of a coach will have you cheering. Read full review
70
The Irish TimesTara BradyOct 17, 2023
Working from Julia Cox’s agreeably prickly script, the Oscar-winning filmmakers revel in Nyad’s reputation as a thundering wagon. They are aided in no small way by Annette Bening’s fierce performance, work that trumpets the arrival of awards season. Read full review
70
Screen DailyWendy IdeSep 14, 2023
The filmmakers switch the focus from the suspense of an uncertain outcome to the central friendship between the two women, a friendship that Diana tends to inadvertently torpedo. This allows both actresses to bring a depth and texture that sustains the picture through the extended swimming sequences. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberSep 9, 2023
It is a tribute to Bening’s performance that she keeps us mesmerized by Nyad even at her most stubbornly pigheaded. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandNov 17, 2023
It’s only in the film’s final moments that Diana realizes the power of the team, but “Nyad” would have felt just that much deeper if the film itself recognized it earlier. There’s more to “Nyad” than Diana, and there’s more to this story than swimming. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerSep 9, 2023
It is quite the tale of heroism and courage in the face of adversity, as well as the importance of teamwork and never giving up. But that is all diluted with so many things at play. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireOct 20, 2023
It's a pretty standard story of sports uplift, a familiar tale of triumph over adversity. Read full review
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