63
Metascore
36 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91ColliderIsabella SoaresColliderIsabella SoaresNYAD 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.
- 80Vanity FairRichard LawsonVanity FairRichard LawsonVivid 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.
- 80VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeAudiences 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.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberThe Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberIt is a tribute to Bening’s performance that she keeps us mesmerized by Nyad even at her most stubbornly pigheaded.
- 70Screen DailyWendy IdeScreen DailyWendy IdeThe 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.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerEntertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerIt 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.
- 60Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangThe movie, to its credit, harbors few illusions about Diana’s people skills. And it has, in Bening, an actor with a natural affinity for rough edges and sharp retorts, plus an ability to make emotional sense of a character’s fury.
- 60The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeWhile a dedicated Bening gives her all in a tough, physically demanding role, deserving of at least another nomination if not necessarily a win, it’s Foster who steals the film with a fine reminder of her easy charisma.
- 58The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodFoster is so good you’re often rooting for Stoll to succeed more than Nyad. And sometimes a performance like that is all you need for a feel-good story like this one.
- 50New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreNew York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreFor all that Nyad is happy to show its subject’s personality flaws, it has trouble finding her humanity,