Movies

My Old Ass Is a Winning Comedy About the Rush to Become Who You Are

BBG News

As someone who’s been through the whirlwind of teenage years and emerged (somewhat) unscathed, I found “My Old Ass” to be a delightfully refreshing take on the coming-of-age narrative. The film captures that unique blend of eager anticipation and nostalgic longing for the past that seems to define our adolescence so perfectly.

One frequently asked interview question to confident, successful women is: What guidance would you give your younger self? Megan Park’s novel “My Old Ass” offers a fresh, insightful take on this common query by acknowledging that teenagers may possess more emotional strength than they realize.

17-year-old Elliott, famously known as Maisy Stella from the show Nashville, is eagerly anticipating a change in her life: in just a few weeks, she’ll depart from her family’s Ontario farm to attend college in Toronto. She expresses no desire to become a third-generation cranberry farmer, despite the picturesque, forested, lakeside surroundings that many would find irresistible. Instead, she’s cherishing her final days at home, cruising around the lake on her old motorboat, starting a spontaneous romance with an attractive girl, and journeying to a mysterious island with her pals (portrayed by Maddie Ziegler and Kerrice Brooks) to share some questionable-looking mushroom tea.

That mushroom tea is more than a little magic: while her friends are off having your average, noodle-dance trip, Elliott finds herself sitting on a log, engrossed in deep discussion with a woman who claims to be her 39-year-old self (played by the luminously sardonic Aubrey Plaza). Older Elliott has lots of advice for the younger version: Wear your retainer. Spend more quality time with the family. And whatever you do, when you meet a guy named Chad—run.

Elliott feels quite certain she identifies as gay. Then enters Chad (Percy Hynes White), a tall, jokester suitor with an infectious grin. Yet, Elliott attempts to escape, only to find that Chad is inescapable, causing distress to the older version of Elliott (an anomaly, as she’s managed to save her number in younger Elliott’s phone despite conventional rules of time and space).

The old self I once knew is a bit unconventional, yet endearing in its subtlety. It serves as Park’s second feature film (after her 2021 debut, “The Fallout”), offering a relaxed and charming cinematic experience that poses profound questions in a whimsical, incomplete manner. Isn’t it natural for every teenager to yearn for the future? This movie encourages us to reminisce about the people we once were – hazy and impatient figures who eagerly anticipated becoming who we are today.

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2024-09-13 15:06

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