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Sometimes, a coming-of-age film likeMy Old Asshelps us understand not only our past but our future. Even one that, as I have written many times before, makes you appreciate what you have and long for what you don’t. The exception is thatMy Old Assis hardly manipulative.
In fact, Megan Park’s hilarious, vibrant, and overall heart-rendering tale is far from it. There are moments of familial authenticity that ring true throughout the picture. Nothing is more genuine than an older version of yourself counseling your youthful exuberance about how time is fleeting.
Those are the moments thatMy Old Assdepicts you remember and where you most likely hold your regret.
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My Old AssReview and Synopsis
The story follows a teenage girl, Ellioot (Nashville’sMaisy Stella, who gives a beautiful performance), who wants to leave her quaint, small-town world behind for some big-city dreams. On her birthday, she abandons her family to party with her friends, taking shrooms and tripping for the first time.
While her BFFs run around the campfire and into the woods with their hands in the air, “seeing” sounds and “hearing” colors, Ellioot feels nothing. That is, until she sees an older version of herself sitting next to her, who looks like a younger version of her mother (Tony-nominated Maria Dizzia).
That is “older” Ellioot (played byAubrey Plaza), who finds the heart of the matter and naturally transitions from her absurdist deadpan delivery to surprisingly sobering moments of tender care. She is there to tell her alternative version to value her family and stay away from a young man named Chad (Wednesday’sPercy Hynes White).
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My Old Assis Tender, Funny, and Souful
This is Megan Park’s second feature, her first being the soberingly nuanced school shooting taleThe Fallout,starringJenna Ortega. She also wrote a tender, funny, and ever-so-soulful script full of hope and gentle sorrow. Rewatch the scene where Plaza tells Stella’s character about spending time with Mom and tells me I’m wrong.
Essentially, Park wrote a family film of surprising depth that begins masquerading as a teenage comedy. What helps is that the characters are so well-developed and nuanced. None of them are caricatures; all have moments of enlightenment and honesty about what it means to be part of a family.
However, none of this would have been possible without Maisy Stella’s pitch-perfect performance, who is quite the find in the role. Her portrayal of the younger version of Elliott is as well-rounded as one can achieve with a character on the cusp of their rite of passage.
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IsMy Old AssWorth Watching?
You can summarizeMy Old Assas a film about mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and the journey to self-discovery. Watch and have your heart filled to the top as young Stella connects with her adoring mother, or see how the wiser version of Elliott looks upon her earlier self like a big sister.
While Park’s film can be seen in the tradition of ones likeBigand13 Going on 30,My Old Assis so much more than those well-regarded movies. Park fills the screen with emotions such as love, anger, sadness, fear, and the underlying excitement of unknown anticipation, making life risks worth taking.
Yes, these emotions are presented in a mainstream manner, but they are there beneath the surface, executed with a delicacy and care that most films cannot help but fumble away.
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You can watch My Old Ass now only in theaters.
My Old Ass Review — A Hilarious and Tender Coming of Age Tale
M.N. Miller
Film & Television Critic
Articles Published :336
M.N. Miller is a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mansfield University and a Master’s from Chamberlain University. However, he still puts on his pants one leg at a time, and that’s when he usually stumbles over. When not writing about film or television, he patiently waits for the next Pearl Jam album and chooses to pass the time by scratching his wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. M.N. Miller was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs but chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find his work on Hidden Remote, InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Geek Vibes Nation, and Nerd Alert.
