My Old Ass

2024 has been a weird year for film for me. A lot of the movies that have been hyped to the rafters have left me lukewarm, while a few movies that have been less appreciated (or even downright disliked) have exceeded expectations. I don't recall where I first heard of My Old Ass, but I know the premise -- a young woman only weeks from leaving home for college is visited by her older self, seeking to give her life advice -- intrigued me. A coming of age story AND time travel? Sign me up! And then the reviews started rolling in, and they were glowing, and my excitement dulled. After so many letdowns, I was afraid this would be another just fine movie. So it was a pleasant surprise to see My Old Ass break the established pattern and exceed expectations, by keeping the story simple, the focus tight, the tone balanced, and never betraying the main character for the sake of a convenient ending. The list of elements in this movie to praise is honestly endless. Let's start with the behind-the-camera work. Megan Park both wrote and directed this. Normally, that one-two punch can translate into a vanity project, stuffed with ego-stroking because nobody was around to tell them no. That's not the case here. Park's script has no fat on it; every scene and every line serves a purpose, telling the story of Elliott in her last weeks at home at the family cranberry farm in Ontario before she goes to college in Toronto. Elliott is written as a young adult is these days (I should know, I have two); the slang is there, but sprinkled in where appropriate, instead of, say, the catchphrase-spewing done by other writers (looks in Diablo Cody's direction). She's silly and stupid and prone to ignore the world around her, and especially the people in it. When the script needs to be funny, it does so by using the situation, not by telling a joke. A scene of one of Elliott's friends, high on psychedelic mushrooms, is laying on a log, and just rolls off it, is one of the funniest moments of the movie, just because of how it's played; it isn't trying to tell a joke, it's just a real moment that happens to be funny. The script is also devoid of the normal cliches to be found in coming of age stories and rom-coms; there are no disapproving parents, no antagonistic siblings that are the gateway to some profound life lesson, no third act argument/break-up with anybody, none of it. And when faced with the big reveal and life lesson in the third act, Elliott makes a decision that is both subversive, keeping in character, and emotionally satisfying. The themes of the movie -- appreciating the world and the people around you, facing the future, being open to change -- are handled with deftness, never coming off like a lecture. Elliott isn't a whole new person by the end of the movie; changed, yes, but still fundamentally herself. Just an evolved version of it. Writing can be fantastic and still be let down by the direction or acting, but neither of those are a concern here. Park's direction is simple but not simplistic, knowing how and when to highlight the characters or the beautiful scenery around them without trickery or conceit. There's a theme that pops up in the second half of the movie about how there are so many things that stop happening in life and you don't notice it as the last time, like playing pretend with friends. Near the end, , Elliott's mom tells her the story of the last time she rocked and sang Elliott to sleep, and how she was so proud but also so sad because it would never happen again. Elliott, just a couple days away from leaving, sits in her mom's lap and snuggles her. This could've had sweeping orchestral music, a camera spinning around them or some dolly shot to underscore the moment, but Park doesn't indulge in any of that. She lets the moment sit, a daughter giving her mother one more snuggle with her baby. And then there's the acting. I'd never heard of lead Maisy Stella before this, and there's a reason: it's her first movie. You wouldn't know it watching this, as she has the seasoned chops of an actor twice her age with the experience to match. Her natural youthful exuberance and brightness brings Elliott to life in a way that is authentic to the core. Elliott is sweet, charming, but also a bit self-absorbed, and lives in her own little world to the detriment of what it does to the people around her. The poise and nuance Stella brings to this movie, for it being her first acting gig, is nothing short of breathtaking. Elliott's older self is played by Aubrey Plaza, whom I have enjoyed in several movies, but who, in comedies, seems to get stuck being either aloof and sardonic or aggressive and abrasive. She's neither here. She plays off Stella perfectly, coming off as an older and more mature version of Elliott without being entirely different. But there's also a hint of something to Plaza's version of Elliott, a sadness to her, that she holds back until the movie needs her to open up. The movie doesn't put them on screen together a lot -- some might complain not enough, but I think any more and it would've lapsed into overkill -- but it maximizes the time they have together. The third key actor here is Percy Hynes White, playing Elliott's love interest Chad. The chemistry between White and Stella is beautiful, coming off exactly as intended: two young people who happen upon each other and bring light to each other's world. I loved seeing them together and the very natural budding romance. I really can't find enough things to praise about My Old Ass. I am so thrilled it lived up to the hype. I got to find a new director and actor to follow, and a touching, intelligent, heartfelt movie to enjoy. Am I over-valuing this movie? Maybe. Coming of age stories aren't exactly an unexplored realm. But when it's done right, it hits, and this one hit me way better than I ever could've expected. Maybe I'm just sentimental. But my old ass loved My Old Ass.