My Old Ass review: my own 'old ass' thoroughly enjoyed this charming comedy

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While I'm closer in age and mentality to Aubrey Plaza's character in My Old Ass, I couldn't help but relate and fully embrace the journey of its main character Elliott, as the 2024 new movie that premiered all the way back at the Sundance Film Festival in January is finally coming to general audiences in September. It's worth the wait as My Old Ass is a charming, poignant and funny movie about growing up and appreciating all parts of life.

Written and directed by Megan Park, My Old Ass follows 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella), who is excited to leave her family's cranberry farm and head off to college. When she and her friends decide to take mushrooms, Elliott's trip has her coming face-to-face with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), who gives her advice on appreciating her family but also warns her to stay away from someone named Chad. Of course that is tough when she meets the infamous Chad (Percy Hynes White) working on her family's farm for the summer.

Many movies that premiere at Sundance are often described as "quirky" or "light-hearted." This can sometimes be read dismissively, perhaps that they don't have the emotional heft of a serious drama. This couldn't be further from the truth for My Old Ass, which will quickly endear itself to viewers in a similar way that classics like Little Miss Sunshine and CODA did (whether the movie has Oscar potential is TBD, but perhaps). Much of the credit goes to Stella.

Despite Plaza being the big name among the cast, this is a breakout role for Stella (who previously starred in the ABC series Nashville) that she knocks out of the park. She completely owns the picture, making the fact that Plaza is only passively in the movie irrelevant (though to her credit, Plaza is good in her few scenes). Stella brings an authenticity to the younger Elliott, imbuing her with the spunk and angst of a teenager, but managing to keep her grounded and accessible so that we can care and root for her on this journey.

She so dominates the movie that none of her supporting cast can compete. White comes the closest, as they have a good chemistry, and there are nice moments with Kerrice Brooks as Elliott's friend Ro and Maria Dizzia as Elliott's mom. But Stella still draws your focus in these scenes.

The other person that must be given credit to is Park. Formerly an actress last seen in the Hallmark Channel Christmas movie A Royal Queen Christmas, Park has shown with her first two features that she is supremely talented behind the camera. Her debut was the powerful 2021 drama The Fallout, which starred Jenna Ortega, earned rave reviews and a Grand Jury Prize from the South by Southwest Film Festival. On the surface these two movies could not seem more different, as My Old Ass is a straight comedy, but it's a testament to Park that beyond the shift in tone both movies are able to effectively depict different aspects of teenagers growing up in today's society.

Park should also be commended for crafting such a complete and emotionally satisfying story in 90 minutes, an all too rare feat these days among the bloated runtimes of so many movies. Also, she doesn't let the nonsensical rules of Elliott's mushroom trip and her ability to communicate with her older self stand in the way of telling the story, she just forces the audience to accept that this is happening and to go with it.

Any critiques of the movie are small. It features a couple of big laughs, but I wouldn't say it's a laugh riot; perhaps I'm just aging out of the humor a bit, as evidenced by a mic drop scene that is more geared for Gen Z than millennials. Also, one of the big emotional twists of the movie can be seen from a mile away, but again that doesn't really matter because Park, Stella and Plaza make it work in the moment.

It may seem like a teen comedy on the surface, but My Old Ass's message of appreciating the present, embracing the love that's right in front of you and not letting fears dictate your decisions is something that can resonate with anyone.

My Old Ass releases in limited movie theaters in the US on September 13, then debuts nationwide in the US and UK on September 27.