An 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self. But when Elliott’s "old ass" starts handing out warnings about what her younger se...
I was thoroughly charmed by the genuine, heartwarming “My Old Ass,” a different kind of coming-of-age film writer/director Megan Park. Blending a time travel fantasy with a teen romance, this is a story that’s filled with humor, wisdom, and life lessons that are universal.
It’s the summer before college and with just three weeks before she heads off to start another life chapter, Elliott (Maisy Stella) has decided to celebrate her 18th birthday on a camping trip with her friends (Kerrice Brooks, Maddie Ziegler). Seeking a transcendent experience, the trio of besties take some magic mushrooms. While on a drug-induced trip, Elliott comes face-to-face with her older self (Aubrey Plaza), who offers up some important advice and warnings about bad decisions, smarter paths, and important steps to a better future. This interaction has Elliott beginning to question her life choices and the relationships with her family and friends, which has come at one of the most confusing and stressful times in a young woman’s life.
Park’s screenplay hits the right tone as she gives an authenticity to the story of what it’s like to be a woman, both as a teenager and as an adult. This is the type of film that will resonate with the younger generation as well as those of us who are older and wiser. I think this will hit females particularly hard, as I saw parts of myself in both versions of Elliott. There’s an honesty that can’t be faked unless you’ve lived it.
Stella is terrific in the lead role, creating a character that’s both charming and relatable. She’s excellent at expressing what it felt like to find your first true love, facing regret at time spent away from your family, and the hope and apprehension of facing adulthood. Plaza doesn’t have much screen time, but still makes a big impact. As her love interest, Percy Hynes White is perfect as an offbeat dreamboat (he is probably the most well cast actor in the entire film).
Park captures the emotional weight of how quickly the passage of time can feel, especially as you get older. She brings out the old chestnuts of not taking people for granted and the fact that you can’t get back lost time. The lessons in the film are ones that we’ve heard many, many times before, but that doesn’t make them any less important. There are times when the story can feel saccharine sweet with forced nostalgia, which may be off-putting to some. However, there is just so much to love about the sincerity here, and this will be something that speaks to so many.
Charming, funny, and embracing its imperfections, “My Old Ass” is a sweet reminder that the freedom of being young and dumb not only makes you brave, but that life is best experienced in the present.
