My Old Ass

9/25/2024

My Old Ass is a damn fun movie. It’s partly the fantastic, rapid-fire dialogue (the whole movie is a speedy treat, yet somehow chill at the same time). It’s partly the refreshingly natural look and feel of the characters – for example, Elliott’s hair's never perfect. It's not a "movie" looking movie. Maybe that’s why we felt more belief in this story than other “magical realism” films. The concept is just so juicy – who wouldn’t want to know which pitfalls to avoid in their future? Who wouldn’t want to go back and give yourself the advice that nobody else (literally nobody) is equipped to give? But after that top layer of fun is peeled back, writer/director Megan Park asks us to ponder the delicate balance between life experience being a gift, and a burden. Read more of our thoughts

10/2/2024

If you had the chance to speak with your future self, what would you discuss? That’s the opportunity unexpectedly presented to 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella), the daughter of a Canadian cranberry farmer who’s about to leave her rural home to attend college in Toronto, a new chapter in her life that she anxiously awaits. To commemorate the occasion, Elliott and her two best friends (Kerrice Brooks, Maddie Ziegler) decide to celebrate by imbibing in festivities involving a brew of magic mushrooms. However, much to her surprise, while in her altered state of consciousness, Elliott meets her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), who provides the teen with an insightful look into her future. Much of their conversation focuses on things that her younger self could stand to work on, but, perhaps t

10/6/2024

It's her eighteenth birthday and her "ET" loving parents are waiting with their cake for daughter "Elliott" (Maisy Stella). She's off with her pals though, camping out and drinking a particularly potent mushroom tea. Next thing, she finds herself sitting on a fireside log chatting to a thirty-nine year old version of herself (Aubrey Plaza). Hallucinating? Well yes, but somehow her older self manages to leave her a phone number and give her a little advice about her future with the as yet unknown "Chad". Next day she's doing a bit of skinny dipping and guess who she meets? There's the semblance of a spark, but up until now "Elliott" was a confirmed lesbian and armed with the portentous advice from her own future, concludes it's best to avoid the lad. Can she, though? Should she? Auteur Mega

12/10/2024

<em>'My Old Ass'</em> is very cute. It features an impressive Maisy Stella performance, too. The lead is honestly great throughout, the type that is so convincing that it barely feels like you're watching someone act; Stella is particularly good when it comes to her character's more emotional side. Elsewhere, Aubrey Plaza doesn't appear terribly much but still manages to leave a mark - she's always a person I enjoy seeing act. Obviously it isn't a perfect movie or anything, one or two bits of dialogue are a little iffy and the ending is a tad rushed (?) and easy to predict. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm not actually criticising this as I really enjoyed the whole 90 or so minutes. Amusing. Sweet. Recommended.