Everyone wants to
be able to tell their younger self something, if only to convince themselves to
trust Rufus and get into the mysterious time-traveling phone booth at the
Circle-K. Potentially universe-destroying paradoxes aside, it could be quite
useful. One could change the world, gain riches beyond their wildest dreams, or
at the very least get a good grade on their history report. My Old Ass is
of similar scope to the latter situation, and the small story contained therein
feels universal because of it, not to mention heartwarming, sad, and, most
ironically of all, timeless.
Maisy Stella plays Elliott, an
eighteen-year-old who is eager to leave home and move on to the next phase of
her life, but not before she does mushrooms in the forest with her friends and
somehow meets her thirty-nine-year-old self played by Aubrey Plaza. The two
(one?) do what anyone else would in this situation—they freak out, reminisce,
maybe kiss a little, and ultimately do their best to exploit the situation in
order to create a more perfect life for themselves in the future. Most of the
advice that Old Elliott gives Young Elliott is predicable and just common
sense; hang out with your family more, don’t waste a moment of life, and, most
importantly, stay away from guys named Chad.
But these are lessons that every teenager
should learn, and the growth that Elliott experiences is poignant, sweet, and
feels applicable to everyone regardless of their situation. This emotional
journey takes up the vast majority of the film, but the simplicity and
straightforwardness of the story (which was aptly penned by Megan Park, who
also directed) is an asset to the film in this case, as is the limited cast and
beautiful settings.
Maisy Stella does a great job as our main
character, someone who is young, naïve, yet fully three-dimensional. And Aubrey
Plaza (who, regrettably, isn’t in it much but I guess is still technically the
main character because she’s also Elliott?) shines by giving us just a hint of
that classic April Ludgate sass but by also showing off a slightly more
dramatic side that I have never seen her exhibit before. They make for quite
the enjoyable duo, even if they don’t really look that much like each other and
even if their actual shared screen time is limited. Embedded in the story of
Elliott becoming a more present and appreciative person is a love story between
Young Elliott and the aforementioned Chad (Percy Hynes White), and it is also
very simple while also being satisfying and sweet.
We never learn why these time-traveling
shenanigans happen or what the mechanics are, but My Old Ass is
not the type of movie where this matters. The time-traveling via hallucinogenic
mushrooms premise is more of an excuse to explore a classic coming-of-age tale
that pulls some heart strings, elicits a few laughs, and leaves a glowing
impression. What would I tell my younger self? Probably to see this film a
little sooner than I did.
My Old Ass is now available on
Amazon Prime.
This review was first published in the
Keizertimes on November 15th, 2024. Visit at www.keizertimes.com
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