Each year, without fail, there’s bound to be a movie that truly surprises me in just how good it is. Earlier this year, I sang the praises of Snack Shack, a teen coming-of-age film set in a 90’s summertime. Now, once again I find myself so pleasantly surprised by another coming-of-age film, this time titled My Old Ass.
My Old Ass boasts an incredibly unique concept delivered in an incredibly easy to digest format. Following the story of Elliot (Maisy Stella), an 18-year-old lesbian girl who lives on a cranberry farm with her two brothers, mom and dad. Elliot is leaving town soon to go to school in Toronto and cannot wait to leave. Elliot’s life includes getting into mischief and ignoring her family at every turn. But when a trip on mushrooms on her 18th birthday with her friends takes a turn, she encounters her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), who attempts to guide her into a better life than how she ends up.
Actress Maisy Stella is just now starting her career, but she is quickly establishing herself as a force. My Old Ass is her film debut, but you wouldn’t know by seeing it. She has this veteran presence that matches what Plaza brings to the table. She’s an incredible talent that figures to only rise from here. The dynamic between both versions of Elliot works surprisingly well, and the movie does an excellent job not-so-explaining away the whole “time travel” stuff in a way that makes sense while keeping the focus on the characters.
Stella also has great chemistry with co-star Percy Hynes White, who plays love interest Chad. Despite being told desperately by 39-year-old Elliot to avoid Chad, a clear and obvious romance develops between the two that works so well. It also invites Elliot to explore her sexuality in a way that seemed intelligent.
I was incredibly impressed by the writing in My Old Ass especially. It feels so incredibly real. A lot of films have trouble with dialogue that feels like no person would ever speak that way, but here it’s grounded in such a realism that just never penetrates that unbelievable wall.
One particular moment that really stood out to me comes when Chad and Elliot are discussing the fact that the family farm is being sold. Elliot is upset because she’s leaving and, even though she couldn’t wait to go, she always thought she’d have a home to come back to and now she won’t. It’s a powerful moment that hit home for me because when I moved out of my childhood home just a few years ago, my family also sold our home and moved far away. Those feelings that come out on screen replicate perfectly how I felt then. Credit to writer/director Megan Park, who followed up her incredibly traumatic feature debut The Fallout with this one.
Yet, with all the good, I was surprised at just how short My Old Ass is. At 89 minutes, it’s incredibly short and while that makes it easily digestible for many, it’s just too short for me. I needed to see more of Elliot before she trips and meets her older self. Show more her personality so we can see it change in a more satisfying way. I would’ve liked just a couple more scenes with her and Plaza to see them bond more and there should’ve been much more with her friends Ruthie and Ro (Maddie Ziegler and Kerrice Brooks respectively), who are so severely underutilized despite their talent. This movie could’ve easily been two hours long and felt so much more fleshed out.
Even with the short runtime though, there’s a real attachment that gets created between the characters that leads to a real gut punch moment in the end. It works because so much of the focus is really on Elliot and Chad, and the performances across the board sell it well.
Final Thoughts
I was so surprised at how much I love My Old Ass. This is a real coming of age story that I think will work for a lot of people. This is the type of movie that’s great for a romantic date night that will also make you laugh. I am especially excited to see where Maisy Stella goes next, she’s a star.
