My Old Ass

Elliott (Maisy Stella) is a tour de force of energy who is preparing to leave her rural hometown for university in Toronto. Leaving her family at home at her goodbye meal, she goes off with her friends Ro (Kerrice Brooks) and Ruthie (Maddie Ziegler) for a night of camping and magic mushrooms.

The effect of the mushrooms on Elliott is that her older self appears next to her (Aubrey Plaza). After some wonderful banter between them its established that Plaza is Elliott at 39 as well as other things that the younger Elliott isn’t so keen on e.g. PHDs don’t come without a lot of work and time. But amongst the revelations there’s one piece of solid advice: Avoid Chad.

Next morning while skinny dipping in the lake, she meets Chad (Percy Hynes White). Initially following her older self’s advice, she tries to keep her distance, despite his obvious charm. This while learning that the family farm is being sold off – she’s annoyed at not being told, but then her family assumed she never had any interest.

The exchanges with Plaza continue and Elliott learns to appreciate who and what is around her. As well as taking control of her life and direction. Her 100% attraction to women falters as does her take-them-for-granted-attitude to her family.
Plaza as the older Elliott is possibly seeking some redemption as she sees lived the mistakes that her younger self is going to make, she wants her to avoid them.

All well and good but where does this leave the younger Elliott’s own free will and what to make of the challenges ahead of her? Mistakes will be made and while in some respects its good to be foretold, Elliott’s innate sense of wonder and adventure would be stifled.

This is a remarkable film from Megan Park, the writing is fluid and witty with the two leads revelling in their exchanges. As do the rest of the cast who aren’t shortchanged by Park.

The narrative is tight, and Park makes the best possible use of lake and rural location. The film is beautiful to look at the camera working instinctively with the location shots and dialogue scenes.

Plaza confirms – if it really needed it – that she is one of the most versatile actors working today. And while Stella had a long run in the tv series Nashville (which I have never seen) this is her feature film debut and demonstrates a natural adeptness at comedy, as well as the heavier elements of the story.

This film will delight and touch every viewer that sees it.

My Old Ass will be in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 27 September.