My Old Ass (2024)

"My Old Ass" stars Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Seth Isaac Johnson, Carter Trozzolo, and Aubrey Plaza.  Released on September 13, 2024, the film has a teen encountering an older version of herself.
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The film was written and directed by Megan Park, who's best known for writing and directing "The Fallout".  We all have that one moment when we wish to travel back in time to help our younger selves improve their lives.  While it would help improve our current lives, it could also make our coming-of-age journeys a bit more hectic than it already was.  This week, I'm taking a small break from the September horrors in favor of something even more terrifying: teenage life.  This latest comedy-drama sees actress/upcoming filmmaker Megan Park expanding her cinematic finesse following her successful debut with the straight-to-streaming film "The Fallout" two years ago.  Fortunately, instead of releasing it on a streaming service like her previous movie, this one is dumped into movie theaters in hopes of reaching a broader audience.  Does it mark another fun and heartfelt addition to the coming-of-age catalog, or make us want to travel back and advise our past selves not to endure it?  Let's find out.

The story follows Elliot Labrant (Stella), a free-spirited teenager residing with her family at a cranberry farm.  She embarks on a fun camping trip with her friends, Ruthie (Ziegler) and Ro (Brooks), which later leads to them having a bad mushroom trip.  As a result, Elliot brings herself face-to-face with a 39-year-old version of herself (Plaza), who advises her on improving her current life. She advises Elliot not to fall in love with a boy named Chad (White), who works at her family's farm.  As Elliot starts taking her older version's tips to heart, she begins rethinking everything about her life, especially when she winds up meeting the boy she's told to avoid.

"The Fallout" was another movie I didn't expect to love until watching it myself two years ago.  It not only displayed the remarkable talents of its young actresses, Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler, but also delivered a sentimental and humane approach to a teen's perspective of trauma that's relatable and even important.  It may not be something I'd revisit due to its mature themes, but it did show me how talented and intelligent Megan Park was as a filmmaker and storyteller, especially regarding a teenage girl's perspective on such themes.  This left me interested in her latest drama, which took a more imaginative approach to the coming-of-age topic compared to the previous film's depressing tone.  Plus, it has been getting plenty of praise since its debut at Sundance in January, so of course, I was willing to find the time to see if the hype's worth it.  After seeing it early before its release, I'm happy to say that "My Old Ass" was not ass.

It has the coming-of-age elements we're familiar with, especially those exploring teenage girls searching for their true selves.  But what really matters is the execution and direction and whether they enhance a film's familiar nature.  "My Old Ass" is another example of following life's biggest guidelines and doing them justice, with just the right balance of heart, humor, and serenity to make its concept cleverly refreshing and fun.  This is undoubtedly a complete 180 from what Megan Park delivered from "The Fallout", mainly due to its tone.  While "The Fallout" was a depressing and bleak outlook on teenage trauma, "My Old Ass" takes a more lighthearted and surprisingly down-to-earth approach to the concept of growing up and self-identity.  Additionally, it offered a sublime reflection on the importance of valuing life.  It may not have all the answers you need, and it won't be any easier as you move on to the next chapter.  The best advice is to cherish every moment you have while it lasts, whether with your family or loved ones, because you never know what you'd have before they're gone.

Park's teen-centered movies are distinct in their tones and presentations but share a common aspect.  They both showcase Megan Park as the new voice for teenage coming-of-age filmmaking.  Park is another director who understands the complexities of everyday life, particularly from a teenage girl's perspective, providing a simple yet effective display of authenticity and relatability to educate and entertain its target audience.  Through the film's mixture of comedy and romance, Megan Park offered a delicate and immensely charismatic appeal that left me smiling from ear to ear.  Even the romance aspect between Elliot and Chad was highly tolerable, favoring genuine heart over manipulative sappiness.  The movie was also suitably paced due to its short runtime, and the humor had a vast amount of endearment and charm to elevate its periodically bizarre concept.

Park's screenplay also deserves credit for taking a more intelligent and realistic approach to the fantastical metaphor of its themes.  The movie's concept of Elliot's older version visiting her from the future seemed like something you would see in an R-rated raunchy comedy by Seth Rogen, but that's not the case.  While it did have some profanity in its language and sexual content, its crude nature didn't overshadow the sincerity of the themes it's portraying.  Instead, they serve a purpose in Elliot's exploration of self-identity.  It was a bold choice to take this route amid its weird concept, but it paid off well, thanks to a script that's smart and earnest enough to elevate its usual yet well-executed narrative tropes and characters.

The film was also greatly enhanced by its exceptional young cast, whose remarkable efforts were instrumental in conveying its heartfelt message. This is Maisy Stella's first acting gig since appearing in "Nashville" as she spent years between the projects continuing her singing career.  She was also known for performing the theme song for DreamWorks Animation's "Spirit Riding Free", believe it or not.  Aside from that fact, this was my first exposure to Stella as an actress.  Unsurprisingly, Stella's return to acting was a welcoming treat at best.  Her performance exhibits a beguiling and engaging allure that's full of life and sincerity, which is enough to signify her promising future as an actress.  Aubrey Plaza was also fantastic in her role as the older version of Elliot, continuing her recently impressive chapter of her career.  I used to see Plaza do improv and even raunchy comedies during her early days, but now, it seems like she's been choosing her projects carefully, with "My Old Ass" being one of them.  I might even say this is her best performance since "Ingrid Goes West", even if the concept of her character may be a bit confusing for some.  Percy Hynes White also did a decent job as Chad, and Maddie Ziegler, who collaborated with Megan Park in "The Fallout", was suitable as Ruthie.

Overall, "My Old Ass" is a satisfying, thoughtful, and charmingly comedic drama that benefitted from its refreshing approach to its genre tropes.  As mentioned earlier, it contains plenty of familiar coming-of-age elements we've seen before.  However, its familiarity was advised to embrace itself instead of wandering around lazily, resulting in another strongly directed and well-written addition to the genre's catalog of teens experiencing life.  Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza were tremendous in their roles and chemistry, signaling their bright futures as actresses.  More importantly, its direction and screenplay further indicate Megan Park as another cinematic voice of our generation worth watching, making it one of the year's best films. If you enjoy watching coming-of-age dramas, I'd advise you to check this film out.

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