My Old Ass avoids the usual problems of time travel films, and for good reason
The gimmick at the heart of Megan Park’s dramedy My old ass is gripping: On the night of her 18th birthday, a teenager cancels her family party to go do drugs in the woods. There, she meets an adult version of herself and immediately starts berating herself for being so old. (The other version of her is only 39.) It’s funny enough to watch a confident teen and her older self playfully clash over future career opportunities and appearances. But interwoven through the Oh my God, is this what I’m going to look like when I’m OLD?! Back-and-Forth is a powerful film about growing up.
Writer-director Megan Park (The consequences) uses a high-concept plot to hone in on specific emotions and experiences, while avoiding genre pitfalls and time-travel details. By skimping on sci-fi mechanics while leaning into the emotions created by the situation, she lets her art make My old ass in a contemplative coming-of-age story — one that perfectly captures the feeling of that one last carefree teenage summer before everything changes.
(Editorial note: This piece contains light setup spoilers for My old ass.)
Maisy Stella (ABC musical drama) Nashville) plays Elliott, a confident young woman with big dreams of leaving her family’s cranberry farm behind when she heads to the University of Toronto in the fall. While tripping on hallucinogenic mushrooms, she is visited by an older version of herself (played by Parks and recreation‘s Aubrey Plaza), who gives her some advice about this very volatile time in their lives. The two manage to keep up a cell phone correspondence, with the older Elliott trying to guide the younger Elliott without at much about the future. Her biggest warning: Stay away from Chad (Percy Hynes White), the charming boy who works on her family’s farm during the summer.
Throughout the film, it’s a bit ambiguous whether time travel is actually taking place, or whether Elliott is merely experiencing a side effect of her psychedelic trip. But that blurry line means that Park doesn’t have to bother with paradoxes or otherwise waste time explaining the rules of time travel. For the young Elliott, addressing her 20-year-old self is just a random, weird thing that happens, and she rolls with the punches. They never really interrogate the larger spatiotemporal implications of the experience, or worry that they might shatter reality by touching. That’s a good thing, because Park uses the time travel element as a tool to really hammer home the bittersweet side of growing up.
The young Elliott is secure in her place in the world, and Stella brings a certain brazen clarity to the character. When she begins to question what she takes for granted about herself and her family, and what that means for the future, her performance comes with a palpable vulnerability. Meanwhile, Plaza nails the older, more worldly version of the character — but one that’s never too blasé or cynical. The two share some great banter: it’s a testament to their chemistry that much of their interaction takes place over the phone, yet it never feels contrived or contrived.
The older Elliott doesn’t share specifics about the future with her younger self, and for good reason: She wants the younger Elliott to be surprised by everything life has to offer. Her vague advice — effectively, slow down and spend more time with her family while you can — could be overused aphorisms. But because they’re so universal, they could also apply to Elliott’s specific situation, like how she feels like she’s too good for her family’s cranberry farm. And the older Elliott’s vague warning about the cute boy could also be a cliché — except that Elliott was only attracted to girls until she met Chad. It’s a refreshing take on a coming-out story, and it makes the older Elliott’s warnings even more intriguing, especially since the younger Elliott and Chad clearly get along well.
In addition to the time travel setup, My old ass‘s most immediate hook is its leads and their easy rapport. This film could have simply been a collection of jokes and gags about touching your older self’s ass. But Park uses the Timey-Wimey elements to create a story about those unnoticed final moments, the ones we don’t realize will be turning points on the road to adulthood. The younger Elliott is eager to leave it all behind and move on to her next big adventure, but the older Elliott can offer some perspective. At the same time, the older Elliott can taste her bygone youth and tap into the days of a fearless teen who could take on the world. My old ass is about growing up – the joy, the pain, and those little moments that stick with us for much longer than we think – and Park cleverly accomplishes this by drawing on Elliott’s perspectives on both the past and the present.
My old ass will be shown in select cinemas from September 13 and in cinemas everywhere from September 27.