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.

My Old Ass is an emotionally authentic, fantastical trip on a wave of good vibes. Director Megan Park has done something special here, juxtaposing a surreal concept on some very real dynamics of a young Elliott (Maisy Stella) growing up; and it is a fun, scenic trip worth taking. Without offering any spoilers, this wonderfully crafted transportation into the "what ifs" in the rear view of life, is propped up by a stellar cast - with a ride on the suspension of disbelief expertly kept afloat by Aubrey Plaza. It has a feeling of nostalgia that resonates across generations. The authentic connections between Elliott, Chad (Percy Hynes White), and her friends (Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks), and family moments solidly hit home - poignant scenes with brother Max (Seth Isaac Johnson) as a social conscience, whimsical Spencer (Carter Trozollo) , and with her mom (Maria Dizzia) and dad (Alain Goulem), bring surprising emotional depths on a vehicle of relatable, and well delivered comedy. We came in for a short trip, and wound up wishing we could hang out longer inside this unexpected cinematic, treat.

My Old Ass is a coming of age story that merges elements of a stoner comedy with some low tech time travel to great effect. It's so funny and easy to like but its greatest strength comes from the emotional core and the beautiful messages which come from it. It's a winning argument about how life is messy, scary and full of extremely painful heartbreak however, that only makes it all the more important to take the risks and enjoy the best moments.

Maisy Stella gives an amazing lead performance, starting off unaware of what she's about to leave behind which allows her to grow over the course of the film and her internal struggles as she discovers new things about herself unfold in a really earnest fashion. Aubrey Plaza is only on screen for two scenes and it's so impressive how funny she is in the first one and how much emotion she brings to the second. Percy Hynes White nails his part as someone who is supposed to be a red flag but his actions only confirm the opposite.

As writer & director Megan Park delivers a breezily entertaining film that consistently looks nice thanks to its scenic locations and ability to hone in on the smaller details that mean everything before delivering a well earned emotional gut punch at the end. All the dialogue feels authentic without ever coming across as unintentionally awkward and there's a lot of fun to be had in catching the small details Aubrey Plaza lets slip about this version of the future.

This 69 year old straight white male absolutely loved this film. It has been years since I have been so moved by a film. I have never been a huge Aubrey Plaza fan. She has a lot of people that really love her. I just like her and she was very good in this, but the two young leads Maisy Stella and Percy Hynes White were just terrific.. I have always loved coming of age stories. There are going to be a lot of haters that give this a one cause they thought they were going to the Reagan movie in the theater next door, but I call this maybe the best Romantic Dramedy that I have ever seen . Truth be told I was grappling between a 9 and a 10 but decided to add the star tot counteract the haters. Sometimes with reviews I.worry that I am going to give spoilers. Let me just say that if you have a good heart you will love this film. I did not think much of Megan Park's first film "The Fallout" but she.wrote and directed a wonderful little film here and probably deserves the biggest kudos of all.

Not a bad movie, charming in parts, but I found the conversations between future self quite boring, quite often they are just talking about what we've just seen on screen, so it's quite repetitive. The whole chad mystery isn't particularly exciting either.

It's a little bit hard to care that much about her journey of discovery that her incredibly nice family are actually nice to hang out with. Or that her area is incredibly beautiful and that hanging out on a boat is quite fun and she might miss it.

That being said I didn't hate it, lots of charming moments, the actors are really good, the setting is beautiful.