“My Old Ass” Review
Aubrey Plaza (Left) and Maisy Stella star in “My Old Ass” as two version of the same person brought together by extraordinary circumstances.
A good coming-of-age story often must carefully tread with the often recurring themes of sentimentality. After all, it’s hard not to have a glowing look on the stories of youth (whether they’re fictional or autobiographical) but these stories can easily become innocuous mush blinded by only the rosiest of memories. But a film like “My Old Ass” clearly doesn't fall into this pit by combining an interesting protagonist with a creative premise and some out-there humor that makes the film a most humorous affair.
Elliott (Maisy Stella) is a recent high school graduate preparing to move from her parents’ cranberry farm to Toronto for college. While celebrating her last days at home with her friends, they all trip on psychedelic mushrooms which results in Elliott standing face-to-face with her older self (Aubrey Plaza). With this interaction appearing to be a genuine connection across timelines, Elliott’s older counterpart tries to relay advice regarding how she presently interacts with her friends and family. However, the younger Elliott might just wind up helping her older self along the way.
Having previously written and directed her excellent debut film “The Fallout”, Megan Park continues to show her talents for teenage drama with her sophomore feature. Maisy Stella, in her first film performance, is exceptional in playing a moody teenager who you immediately understand while supporting her evolution. Instead of having Elliott be your typical bratty teen who has contempt for her family, this character feels more relatable since she does love her family but has lost sight of their value in favor of focusing on her next big step. Stella brings a strong sense of heart and energy to the role that is well-blended with Aubrey Plaza who brings her natural comedic gifts to the story and brings some credence to a film titled “My Old Ass”.
At 89 minutes, the film wastes no time on frivolous subplots and keeps things razor focused on Elliott’s journey as she tries to say goodbye to her old life while contending with a miracle occurring within the space-time continuum. While it’s unclear how exactly these two are communicating, these kinds of details don’t really matter since the catalyst was a drug trip. The use of science fiction to put a spin on the traditional mentor/mentee relationship was refreshing and certainly gives “My Old Ass” an identity.
However, while prevalent in the first and third acts of the film, the middle portion of time feels a bit barren without Plaza’s presence. If you went into this film expecting to see a lot of her, then you might be disappointed. Not to say that the rest of the film is a waste without her because Stella’s performance is really engaging but Plaza’s presence could have been more consistent. Perhaps Megan Park didn’t want to rely heavily on this plot device but I think it could have been utilized more throughout the story.
Fortunately, alongside strong characters and beautiful Canadian scenery, the humor of the film kept me hooked all the way through. Using the natural comedic gifts of the actors and carefully balancing laughs and drama, “My Old Ass” knows when to take itself seriously and when to just have fun. As far as comedies go, it’s a comforting ride that occasionally drops wisdom among raunchy comedy and fun times on the lake.
