Alright, alright, lemme tell ya ’bout this Diana Nyad woman, the one they made a movie about. “Nyad”, they call it. Now, I ain’t no fancy movie critic or nothin’, but I watched it, and I got some things to say.
This Diana, she’s a swimmer, a real go-getter, I guess. They say she swam all the way from Cuba to Florida. Can ya believe that? Cuba to Florida! That’s a heck of a long swim, even for a fish. She wasn’t no spring chicken neither, older than my grandson, I reckon. Sixty-somethin’ years old, they say. Makes my old bones ache just thinkin’ about it.
Now, the movie, it shows her tryin’ and failin’, tryin’ and failin’ again. Jellyfish stingin’ her and all sorts of troubles. But she kept at it, that one. Like a dog with a bone, wouldn’t let go. Gotta give her that, she’s stubborn as a mule.
- First, she tried and failed.
- Then she tried again, and failed again.
- But she didn’t give up, no sirree.
- Finally, she made it! Or so they say.
Folks are callin’ her all sorts of things – inspirational, a champion, a hero. And yeah, maybe she is. But seein’ her on that screen, all I could think was, “This woman, she sure loves herself a lot.” Don’t get me wrong, ain’t nothin’ wrong with havin’ some pride, but this gal, she’s somethin’ else. Always talkin’ about herself, her dreams, her this, her that. Reminds me of that rooster we had back on the farm, always struttin’ around like he owned the place.
They made this movie based on her book, you know. “Find a Way,” it’s called. See? Even the title’s all about her. She wrote it herself, tellin’ her own story, her own way. And the movie, it’s all about her too. Annette Bening, she plays Diana, and she does a good job, I guess. But it’s still all about Diana, Diana, Diana.
Now, I ain’t sayin’ she didn’t work hard. Swimmin’ that far, that takes guts. And I ain’t sayin’ she ain’t got a right to be proud. But there’s a difference between bein’ proud and bein’… well, you know… stuck on yourself. Some folks call it “narcissist,” this fancy word. I just call it thinkin’ you’re better than everyone else.
And that’s the vibe I got from this Diana woman, in the movie and in what I heard about her. Always gotta be the center of attention, always gotta be the one everyone’s talkin’ about. Maybe that’s what it takes to swim from Cuba to Florida, I dunno. Maybe you gotta be a little bit crazy, a little bit stubborn, and a whole lotta full of yourself.
But still, I can’t help but wonder. What about all the folks who helped her? The coaches, the boat crew, the doctors… they don’t get no movie made about them, do they? It’s always about the star, the one who gets all the glory. Seems a bit unfair, if you ask me.
So, yeah, Diana Nyad, she swam a long way. She’s a tough old bird, that’s for sure. But is she a hero? An inspiration? I guess that depends on how you look at it. Me? I just see a woman who really, really loves herself. And maybe that’s all you need to swim from Cuba to Florida. But it don’t make you no saint, that’s for sure.
Anyways, that’s just my two cents. Take it or leave it. I’m just an old woman, what do I know? But I seen a thing or two in my time, and I can spot a show-off when I see one.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide what you think about Diana Nyad. But don’t let all that fancy talk fool ya. Sometimes, the loudest rooster ain’t always the best one.
Tags: [Diana Nyad, Nyad, Annette Bening, marathon swimmer, Cuba to Florida, swimmer, Netflix, movie review, narcissist, self-centered]
