Nyad

I love Annette Bening and Jody Foster. Both great actresses. But this movie was lacking. I think it mainly had to do with the writing. The Nyad character was just too quirky, with too many quick comebacks. I'm sure the real Nyad is a quirky character, but it was grating on film. Maybe it was just Benings portrayal. It's the first time I actually thought she did a poor job.

Both Bening and Foster were presenting real human women, which was refreshing. Bening isn't a spring chicken anymore and neither is Foster. And they both let the realness show through, wrinkles and all.

Again, incredibly inspiring story. But a so-so film.

The wonderful and uplifting story of Diana Nyad, who decides at 60 to complete her lifelong ambition, to swim from Cuba to Florida, a feat she couldn't achieve aged 28.

Netflix haven't had the best time of it this year, but they certainly pulled it out of the bag with this one, it's a cracking movie.

It's uplifting, it's daring, it's an adventure, a truly motivational story. Both Annette Bening and Jodie Foster are tremendous 8n third respective roles.

Now, I know it's superficial to comment on people's appearances, but can I just say how wonderful it is to see two natural looking actresses, for real, how refreshing.

I loved the music throughout the film, some real classics were chosen, including The Sound of Silence.

8/10.

Long distance swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) was a minor celebrity back in the 70's and 80's. Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) is her longtime best friend and fleeting lesbian lover. It's 2010 and Nyad is drifting to her 60th birthday. Despite not doing big swims for the last 30 years, she decides to tackle her failed swim from Cuba to Florida when she was only 28. They hire local expert John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans) to guide them through the difficult currents.

It's the true story of Nyad who is allegedly the first to swim the Florida Strait unassisted. Married couple directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi do mostly documentaries of extreme adventurers. They are dipping their toes into bigger budget fares and this one has some big name actors. Annette Bening is striped down and is not afraid of looking ugly, both outside and inside. Nyad is not the most cuddly character. Jodie Foster is simply magnificent. She is way over-qualified to be second banana. Rhys Ifans rounds out the big three. The movie follows the standard sports movie profile. I would put more of her swim during 28 year old in the opening act. They need to accentuate her failed swim which would make her decision that much more compelling. This movie has one big surprise laugh and I wouldn't mind having more. Most of all, I love the relationship between Diana and Bonnie. It helps to have two great actresses playing these lived-in characters. They make this standard sports movie come alive.

As "Nyad" (2023 release; 121 min) opens, we see news footage from the mid-late 1970s when marathon swimmer Diane Nyad sets several marks. We then go to "Los Angeles, August 22, 2010" and Nyad decides that she is going to try and swim from Havana to Key West, even though she is now 60 and she failed in her earlier attempt 30 years ago... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Oscar-winning co-directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin ("Free Solo"). Here they look at another extreme sport (marathon swimming) but rather than doing a documentary about Nyad, they decide to do a biopic recreating the events. I very much respect the co-directors, and have seen most of their movies. That said, the movie succeeds mostly because of Annette Bening's fearless performance. Yes, Jodie Foster is good too, but nowhere near the level of Bening, sorry. There is also a pleasant original score, courtesy of Oscar-winning Alexandre Desplat. There are several things I didn't like about the movie but since they related to "plot', I'll remain silent and you can figure it out yourself.

"Nyad" premiered at the Telluride film festival a few months back, to good critical acclaim. After a one week US theatrical run in selected cities, it started streaming on Netflix last weekend. If you are in the mood of an extreme sports film or simply a fan of Annette Bening or Jodie Foster, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Greetings again from the darkness. All great athletes aren't great competitors, and all great competitors aren't great athletes. But when the two merge, the result is elite. Think Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali, Novak Djokovic, Tiger Woods, and Michael Phelps. Of course, there are others, and this biopic focuses on one you might not have previously considered since she's so unique. Diana Nyad was a world class distance swimmer and had a tremendous career prior to becoming an analyst and commentator for ABC Sports. She had a career that made her famous in her field and a well-respected sports personality ... but that's not what made her the focus of this film from co-directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the Oscar winning duo behind the extraordinary documentary FREE SOLO (2018).

In 2010, after a surprise 60th birthday party thrown for her by her friend Bonnie Stoll, Diana Nyad made up her mind to make the "Mount Everest" of open water swims ... from Cuba to Florida. Mind you, Nyad had failed on her attempt at this swim when she was 28 years old and in peak form. And yes, everyone thought she was a bit crazy and tried to talk her out of it. The swim is 103 miles, and the dangers included box jellyfish, sharks, and unpredictable weather and currents, not to mention the stamina and physical health required. But Diana would not be swayed from her goal.

Annette Bening stars as Nyad, and two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster co-stars as best friend Bonnie. As remarkable as Nyad's marathon swim goal was, much of the film focuses on the journey of friendship between Diana and Bonnie, especially once Bonnie takes on the role of coach and trainer. Their relationship (and the actors' performances) is the strength of the film. We feel the love and the frustrations. Diana's extreme level of determination (and hard-headedness) is paired with her equally extreme level of self-absorption and narcissism. Bonnie's loyalty is tested daily and over many years.

Why many years? The answer to that is in the number of failures Nyad experiences on her quest to complete the swim. The multiple attempts allow us to get familiar with the crew, especially navigator John Bartlett, played by the always interesting Rhys Ifans. The relationship between the crew and the swimmer builds the bridge between isolation and team sport. We see Diana use 4/4 music for the rhythm of her strokes and to keep her mind from wandering (or worse). The mental aspect of distance swimming is just as challenging as the physical side.

The story continues through 2013 at age 64, when we learn that the rules mean both ankles must be out of the water for the swim to count ... this after more than two full days and nights of swimming. Screenwriter Julia Cox has adapted the story from Diana Nyad's memoir, "Find a Way", and Oscar winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda (LIFE OF PI) works wonders in capturing the enormity of the swim as well as the intimacy of this deep friendship and the commitment of the crew.

Flashbacks of Diana's childhood are shown, which clue us in on what motivated her to push her body and mind to extremes. The film begins with a recap of Nyad's swimming career to ensure that viewers understand what a decorated athlete she was. Annette Bening is terrific here and it will be interesting to see if, after four previous nominations, this is the role that delivers that elusive gold statue. As for Jodie Foster, her rare screen appearances make it too easy to forget just how amazing she can be - it's nice to be reminded (be on the lookout for her in the new season of "True Detective" next year). Music by two-time Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat works well on the swims, and Nyad's dreams (and misses) inspire us to pursue our own ... even if our dreams are a bit less dramatic than "Mount Everest." Opens in select theaters on October 20, 2023 and streams on Netflix November 3, 2023.