Out of all the films that I saw at MIFF this year, Megan Park's “My Old Ass” was definitely the most “Hollywood”, and not the kind of film that I would usually see, so I really wasn't expecting that much from it. Instead I ended up loving it; it is such a sweet film, with fantastic characters and scenarios, it is funny, poignant and even has something to say about life and love. The whole learning from your future self trope is well worn by now, but what I loved about “My Old Ass” is the best piece of advice actually comes from the younger version of Elliot, and not the older, which is a change from the norm in these time-travelling coming of age stories.
I believe the reason I booked a ticket to “My Old Ass” was due to the casting of Aubrey Plaza as the older version of Elliot. This in itself is amusing because I have a love/hate relationship with Plaza in that sometimes her performances drive me bananas, and other times I find her quite endearing. She has made a name for herself, and quite the career, thanks to her ironic, eye-rolling persona. Her characters often seem pissed off for some reason, and they never seem to give a shit about anything. Depending on the film, sometimes it works, and other times it gets tired fast. However she is wonderful in “My Old Ass”, and totally does away with this persona she is known for. Her version of Elliot is so likeable, happy and fun. I am not sure that the younger Elliot would ever grow up to look like Plaza though (which amusingly is briefly made fun of a couple of times throughout the film, like the fact that Plaza has a gap in her teeth whilst the younger Elliot does not). The thing that I was most surprised by though, was just how little Plaza is seen onscreen in the film, seeing she is all over the marketing for the film. She is essentially only in the film for two scenes: the scene at the campfire at the beginning when Elliot is tripping on mushrooms, and another scene towards the end. She is still present within the film via a number of phone calls the two Elliot's share, but in these we only hear Plaza's voice. Anyway, she is excellent despite how brief her onscreen time is.
The heart and soul of “My Old Ass” though is Maisy Stella who plays the younger Elliot. She is absolutely outstanding in the role, and the complete definition of “cute as a button”. She is so adorable in this!! Stella does such an excellent job at playing Elliot and she isn't afraid to go anywhere with her character. There are times when she is totally endearing, other times she is a total goofball, she knows what she wants when it comes to the girls that she wants, and there is a beautiful side to her when engaging with her mum. The role gives her a huge range of emotions to play and she nails every single one of them. I especially liked the way Stella was able to honestly express the confusion Elliot feels as she begins to fall in love with Chad, because until this point in her life, she was so sure within herself that she was gay, and for her now not to be sure or understand what she now is if she is in love with Chad, it scares Elliot. Maisy Stella does an excellent job of portraying this confusion, fear and excitement of falling in love all at the same time. As I said, she also doesn't mind looking ridiculous, and one of the best moments in the film is when she wants to reconnect with her older self again, so decides to trip on mushrooms once more. This time her trip is absolutely hilarious with her dancing to a Justin Bieber song as if she is in a concert. It is such a funny scene, especially when director Megan Park cuts from this awesome concert footage of Elliot, to the reality which is her dancing badly by herself in the forest. Its brilliant!
Percy Hynes White plays Chad and he is just as adorable as Maisy Stella, and when the two of them are together, there is a cuteness overload, but they are super sweet as a couple. One of the very few issues I have with “My Old Ass” is that Chad is almost too perfect. We never see him do anything offensive or anything slightly bad or weird that could upset Elliot or turn her off. He is always charming, says the perfect things at the perfect time, is great with her parents etc. He is almost too good to be true, and that is one of the things that Elliot herself questions, because if he is this good of a person, why would her older self warn her against spending time with him?
Aubrey Plaza's version of Elliot doesn't give Maisy Stella's Elliot too much advice, because she fears that it will effect her future if they change too much, but one thing she does say is to spend more time with your brothers and do not take for granted your parents. The younger Elliot takes this advice onboard, and we are given a number of really lovely scenes between Elliot and each family member as she gets to know them all a little better before she leaves for college. She is a little heartbroken when her eldest brother lets her know that he felt that she was embarrassed to be seen with him, to which she replies in the negative. It sounds simple but it is a really sweet and real moment between the siblings. The scene with the mother is even more emotional, as the mother is in a weird state of being so proud of her daughter but so upset that she is leaving. Elliot says that she will always need her mother, no matter how far away she is leaving from them. Again, it doesn't sound like much but director Megan Park is really able to extract the truth and heart out of these scenes to give them so much impact on the audience.
I mentioned that the younger Elliot gives her older self the best piece of advice in the film which is that living life safely so there is not chance of getting hurt in the process is not really living at all. You have to attack each moment front on, and with gusto, and if you do end up getting hurt, it doesn't make the experience any less worthwhile, because you still have those memories to look back on. As opposed to doing nothing, and thus having nothing to show for it. It is actually really sage advice from the younger Elliot, and it is something that is brought up in another favourite film of mine, Denis Villeneuve's “Arrival” from 2016.
Overall, “My Old Ass” was a really nice surprise and quite the delight to watch. Maisy Stella is sensational as the younger Elliot, and is the heart and soul of the film, while she is ably supported by an excellent Aubrey Plaza, playing the older version of Elliot. Whilst I would call “My Old Ass” a coming-of-age comedy, it also has a number of heartfelt and dramatic scenes within, that director Megan Park handles with sensitivity and honesty. If I was to have anything negative to say about the film it would be that it my be a little bit too sweet and offensive-free, but I don't care, I had a fantastic time with “My Old Ass”; it is worth seeing just for the hilarious Justin Bieber mushroom trip scene.
3.5 Stars.
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