My Old Ass

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 the most significant topic of discussion centers on a warning to avoid involvement with an as-yet-unmet young man named Chad (Percy Hynes White). Not long thereafter, though, Elliott meets this mysterious stranger, who just happens to be a field hand hired to work on the farm for the summer. She quickly becomes smitten with the charming newcomer and wonders why her elder self so vehemently cautions her from getting to know him, advice she promptly ignores. This, of course, raises many pertinent questions, such as must we obediently accept such supposedly prophetic proclamations as gospel? Is our future indeed written in stone? And, even if our destiny is allegedly unalterable, should we unquestioningly abide by any cautions associated with it, or should we follow our gut instincts even knowing what the consequences might be? These are among the themes thoughtfully addressed in writer-director Megan Park’s second feature, a sweet coming of age tale with a twist, one punctuated with gentle humor, heartfelt emotions, astute realizations and more than a few intriguing revelations. The picture is also beautifully filmed in the picturesque lake country surrounding Muskoka, Ontario, providing audiences with views of some spectacularly gorgeous scenery reminiscent of “On Golden Pond” (1981). However, despite these strengths, the film feels a little underdeveloped in several regards, particularly when it comes to various supporting characters and subplots, as well as some back story aspects of the elder Elliott’s future existence. Given this offering’s relatively short 1:29:00 runtime, it’s somewhat baffling why the filmmaker didn’t take a little extra time to more fully flesh out these elements (after all, it’s not like the picture is overlong or tiresomely tedious). Nevertheless, those shortcomings aside, “My Old Ass” is a pleasant, inoffensive way to spend some time at the movies watching an uplifting, enlightening little story that nicely warms the heart and tells a story with an earnest message about how to approach living our lives. And it’s hard to find much fault with that.

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 Megan Park has worked this really quite entertainingly as she uses the character of "Elliott" to illustrate the selfishness of youth. Taking family and friends for granted, thinking we know it all and that nobody else could ever hope to understand us. The lively interaction between the two women and, ultimately, with the young man might just serve to open her eyes to the joys of being who she is and of looking forward to her future - even when she knows that it's going to be a bumpy ride. It poses the question to us all. If we knew that the life that we were about to embark upon was doomed to failure, would we still follow those impulses or might we heed the warnings and just play it safe? Stella plays her role engagingly and the few scenes with the sylphlike young "Chad" (Percy Hynes White) have a certain humorous charm to them too. Sure, it does play to a few stereotypes but sometimes these resonate more than we might like them to. It's maybe not a cinema film, but it's way better than your usual teenage angst movie, and worth a watch.

'My Old Ass' 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.