Being and Foster do great acting going against their normal Hollywood typecasting. Impressive story, well told and amazing the characterization and make-up work on all actors.
This was a really remarkable story about two women, at an age when our culture tends to send them out to pasture, achieving the unachievable. I would love to see a sequel based on the friendship between Bonnie Stoll and Diana Nyad. They seem to have accomplished a great many interesting things in their lives that would make for a well-told story.
Interesting story, well-adapted. The actresses are perfectly cast. Amazing what people can do when they put their minds to it!
"It looks like a solitary sport, but it’s a team!"
When you look at what she accomplishes in this, it's an amazing feat. Jodie Foster is great as the supportive best friend, but man there are moments where I am just annoyed with the Diana. I think reminds me of stubborn people, but at least she has a talent.
I’m honestly not sure what my takeaway is from this movie. I can’t say I understand the obsession with a personal achievement. I understand the drive to make a difference in the world but not to put a personal mark on the wall. So, I didn’t get swept up in Nyad’s challenge. I did, however, appreciate the fierce performance of Annette Being and the grounded performance of Jodie Foster (she inhabited the heart of the movie). I give this film a 7 (relentless) out of 10. [Sport Drama]
I honestly don't mind Annette Bening and Jodie Foster Oscar nominations for this years Oscars.
Both of them were the best parts of this film.
Nyad (2023) tells the story of Diana Nyad’s (Annette Bening) multiple attempts and failures to swim unassisted from Cuba to the Florida Keys. Having already held multiple world records from her other swims, but this particular route was her white whale – it had eluded her since her first attempt in 1978. 33 years later, at the age of 61, Diana began the next of what would ultimately be five total attempts at the record.
Nyad is a story of perseverance, but in telling that story, the plot gets cyclical – try, fail, make adjustments, try, fail, make adjustments, and so on. It’s the natural progression of attempting something never before accomplished, but in a narrative, it lacks a propulsive interest that keeps the plot engaging. Luckily, Annette Bening and Jodi Foster have an incredibly interesting chemistry as a pair of aging lesbians that once had a fling long ago, but are now lifelong friends. They’ve been nominated for Best Actress and Best Featured Actress respectively, and while I think there’s a magic in the combination of the two, individually, their performances are relatively run-of-the-mill. Bening’s portrayal of Nyad’s complete physical surrender to the purpose of making the impossible possible is impressive, but it’s difficult to get absorbed in the performance when she spends half of the movie face-down in the ocean. I actually remember more of Foster’s performance, given that we spend most of Bening’s time in the water with Foster on the boat. The movie is, for the most part, fine. However, in Nyad’s final attempt at the swim, there is a sequence where the electronic shark repellant devices go dead as a large mako approaches, and the device is, of course, restarted just in time to deter it from attacking. Nothing I can find indicates that this actually happened, and the inclusion of the scene robs the movie of any realism it had going for it. The term “jumping the shark” comes to mind – a last gasp that’s blatantly meant to stir up some semblance of dramatic action.
The casting is excellent. Seeing the actual pictures of Diane and Bonnie was, like, “wow, that’s a bit spot on.”.
I think the poster child for this type of personality is Jim Parson’s portrayal of Sheldon Cooper. The social awkwardness, the obsessive compulsion, the narcissistic pendencies are all played better by Jim Parsons and while Annette Bening takes a good shot at it, it’s lacking in comparison. Where with Sheldon the viewer feels compassion and empathy .. with Diane Nyad I only felt disdain, that she purposely put these people at risk, where in all likelihood she really did have no clue, as the ending suggests.
The movie was interesting but not generally good, in my opinion.
Bening and Foster did an outstanding job playing Nyad and Stoll. You almost forget that you are watching a movie. It was an overall great representation of an amazing story and achievement.
A pretty inspirational movie that feels like it could have been better suited as a documentary. Very interesting premise, but the actual plot drags out about a half hour too long and felt repetitive in nature. If it sounds interesting, it’s worth watching, it’s just one that’s hard to recommend over many other inspirational films.
Rating: 2.5/5 - 70% - Worth Watching
With an inspiring message and a spritely pace, Nyad is a comfortable biopic that reminds us that age is but a number, and it's never too late. I'm impressed that they let some of Nyad's egotism seep through when most of these features pave over the warts and ugliness to paint a perfect picture of who they're representing. A little paint by numbers and undercut by the possibility that Dianas claims are far from factual, Nyad is still an entertaining two hours nonetheless, and it's nice to see Jodie Foster still kicking ass.
[Netflix] A film as narratively unsuccessful as it is emotionally effective, thanks to an honest and intense performance by Annette Bening who addresses a complex and obsessive, sometimes manipulative character, without transmitting rejection in the viewer. There is great work in the supporting roles of Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans who bring humanity to this story of perseverance that conveys this sporting feat without much depth, even leaving the inaccuracies of the anecdotes told by the protagonist as a slight joke. But it conveys emotion and intensity, despite everything.
The film "Nyad" is about long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad's attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida—an endeavor that lends itself perfectly to a film adaptation. If you look at the controversy surrounding the successful last attempt, you might say "too good to be true", but that shouldn't play a major role in the movie's rating. In any case, the movie follows a predictable formula that works well here. The direction is good, and above all, it conveys very well what a mammoth task this is.
However, Nyad only becomes a real success thanks to the acting. Annette Bening is particularly strong in the lead role. She plays the swimmer with many different layers; there are moments when she comes across as likeable, but she often seems narcissistic and egotistical. She obviously has a difficult personality. I'm not quite so sure what to make of Jodie Foster's performance. Her character is certainly the more sympathetic one, but I found the acting odd at times. Foster definitely has some really strong moments, though. Either way, Bening and Foster have great chemistry. Since the relationship between their two characters is also a core element of the movie, that's obviously a big plus.
All in all, I would describe "Nyad" as a movie that fits very well into the Oscar season. Ultimately, good actors are paired with a rather formulaic story. It's certainly not a masterpiece, but overall, it's solid entertainment throughout.
Jodie Foster and Anette Bening did an amazing job :raised_hands_tone2: Superb casting
Shout by PeteVIP 6BlockedParent2024-01-19T08:47:50Z
A solid telling of a remarkable story. Foster was sensational in this for me. Benning seemed to nail the tough to handle main character here. Good crowdpleaser. Beautiful cinematography during dark night scenes as well. 6.5