"Mesmerizes in and out of the water."
— Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter
"Vasarhelyi and Chin... clearly have a gift for mining extreme sports for suspense and excitement."
— Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
"When Bening and Foster are onscreen together, it’s movie magic. They don’t just have chemistry; they’re chemistry professors."
— Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
"With these two acting titans at the centre and on such robust form, it immediately announces itself a serious awards season contender."
— Kevin Maher, Times (UK)
"A stirring tale of dreams and determination, given added appeal by the fact that women in their 60s so rarely get to front this kind of story."
— Wendy Ide, Screen International
"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."
— Peter Travers, ABC News
"Bolstered by the splashy performances of Bening and co-star Jodie Foster, “Nyad” is the kind of crowd-pleasing true story that will make audiences stand up and cheer."
— Kate Erbland, indieWire
"The co-directors with their experience in sports documentaries create the style, the pacing, the excitement; the performances and Julia Cox’s tight script create the humanity."
— Drew Gregory, Autostraddle
"You really feel that Bening is making that journey. You might start to feel that you’re swimming with her. But the movie’s technical excellence is overshadowed by its human dimension."
— Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"Though the film is principally a showcase for Bening, it’s Foster’s supporting turn that lifts 'Nyad.' Foster is a rare screen presence these days, which only makes her warmth and ease all the more powerful here."
— Jake Coyle, Associated Press
"Fresh from various film festival victories and still ringing with applause, NYAD arrives at last on the commercial screen, as splendid and captivating as ever. It’s the winning tabulate of tenacity, friendship, grit and drive."
— Rex Reed, Observer
"It ranks high on the list of best sports-focused films, but it goes beyond that genre by being one of the very few films that’s anchored around two women who are queer and in their 50s to 60s and how they go about achieving a remarkable feat."
— Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
"The filmmakers put the audience in the middle of their heroine’s punishing training regimen... and flashbacks to past traumas that explain not only Nyad’s often off-putting monomania, but her determination to succeed despite nearly impossible odds."
— Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
"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."
— Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
