| Let me just get one thing off my chest: I don’t like the title. I think it cheapens the movie; it may fit the characters in the beginning, but it grows so far beyond that. My Old Ass presents a few different themes but it evolves into something so sweet, uplifting and relatable (minus the parts that ignore the laws of time). | | 2024
Directed by: Megan Park
Screenplay by: Megan Park
Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza
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Elliott (Maisy Stella) is a typical teenager; she ignores her parents, hates her younger brothers, shes’s excited to graduate, leave her farm behind and move to the big city – permanently. With just two weeks to go, she’s finally going to tell her crush how she feels and then do drugs with her friends.
While her friends are both tripping to their own beat, Elliott is left to conclude that the shrooms just aren’t going to affect her. Until Older Elliott (Aubrey Plaza) appears by her side. The first thing that makes this so great is that Aubrey Plaza is mostly playing against type. Elliott is already such a snarky, sarcastic teenager, that Older Elliott has to play that down. Older Elliott is 39 years old, more tired, more soft spoken, a lot more weary of the world.
The film manages to pull in playful dialogue in addition to the questions every teenager would ask of themselves. Elliott declares that she can’t possibly be her because she is very much against bangs, but when she dutifully accepts that it’s her, she wants to know what stock to buy now to be rich in the future, and how awesome is our life now – are we married with kids? Older Elliott doesn’t want to say much because she doesn’t know how this thing works and what if she destroys the universe, but also, she doesn’t want to destroy the joy of surprise as Elliott lives her life.
When Elliott wears her down enough, she offers two pieces of advice: love is when you find the perfect mix of safety and freedom; and stay away from Chad. Who’s Chad? Should I stay away from all Chads? Probably best.
This is when the film flips from a teenage comedy-fantasy movie to a coming-of-age drama. Elliott attempts to go back to her normal life but she has taken everything Older Elliott has said to heart and reevaluates all the relationships in her life. She has matured 20 years after one night with hallucinogens.
Then she meets Chad (Percy Hynes White). She tries to stay away, but Older Elliott never told her why. So now we have a romantic comedy in the midst of a coming-of-age drama and the mix of genres is perfect. Also Chad – the casting of the character (with his feminine look), the writing of the character (with interests that are both opposite but also aligned with Elliott’s), the character himself – is perfect. Chad is perfect for Elliott.
I wracked my brain for the entire movie, along with Elliott herself, trying to figure out what Chad did. Yes, it is revealed at the end, and I am both pleased to report and perhaps a bit sheepishly, that I never figured it out. But as soon as Older Elliott explains her warning to Elliott, everything makes sense. Every single thing that older Elliott said or did just adds up together perfectly. Plaza plays this remarkably well because it never looks like something was missing in her performance, she never telegraphed the future reveal. Older Elliott makes complete sense in the beginning, but she found a way to add a whole new level to what she gave us at the beginning. There was a significant piece of information being withheld from the audience but it never feels like there was information missing. Also Plaza is only in two scenes but her mark on this movie seems so much bigger than that.
I love the Muskoka setting, which perfectly complements Elliott’s personal trajectory, and I also love how the film added in some Elder Millennial vs Gen Z differences in Elliott and Older Elliott’s interactions. Everything gets tied up in a neat little bow at the end. To me, life is messier than that, but ultimately this is such a fun way to watch a teenager grow up and make better choices, whether you’re 18 or 39.
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