My Old Ass
Is this the year of coming of age films?
This year just might be the year of coming of age movies. I recently questioned a lack of theatrical releases targeting teenagers and while I still stand by the fact that these films deserve more than straight to streaming or (very) limited theatrical releases, it is nice to look back on the past few months and be able to say that there have actually been several great releases for that teenage demographic, each made even better by the fact that the themes these films address have a universal appeal. After Dìdi (2024) and Good One (2024), My Old Ass comes to complete the trifecta of meaningful, well written, thoughtful coming of age stories that will resonate across demographics.
Elliott (Maisy Stella) spends her 18th birthday camping with two friends, eager to leave her small town in favour of Toronto where she is soon supposed to start university. When the three friends take mushrooms, Elliott conjures her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) who seems to be exhausted from life and only has one warning for young Elliott: avoid Chad at all cost.
From there, a story of typical teenage growth and self-discovery unfolds but in a way that feels both fresh and deeply familiar. Stella does a great job portraying a cynical teenager ready to move away from home and her character’s fears and hesitations about leaving family members and the one place she’s always called home behind are something I believe everyone will be able to relate to in one way or another.
The universal relatability is perhaps what makes this film as strong as it is. By leaning into themes that teenage audiences will see as relevant in the moment but adult audiences will know to be a recurring theme in life, My Old Ass manages to be more than just a teenage drama. It’s a bit more mature, more refined than that in the way it handles love, loss, and living for oneself.
Shot in Muskoka, the film is visually excellent and leverages its gorgeous landscapes in a similar manner that Good One (2024) did. While it’s easy to get lost in them, their beauty also helps paint the picture of what it is that Elliott would be leaving behind by moving away. Perhaps a 90-minute film doesn’t allow for much time to introduce all of her family – although we learn a few endearing facts about her brothers and see the family come together on a few occasions – but the landscapes are cleverly utilised as a visual reminder of what she would be leaving behind, subtle yet powerful.
If I had to nitpick what I didn’t like, it would probably be the way in which the film fails to use Aubrey Plaza to her full potential. I think she’s great in the scenes she’s in. She is definitely one of those actors with a very recognizable persona and a shtick that works across the roles they take on. That is the case here as well as I can’t find faults in her performance but her performance on screen is brief. A lot of her character’s interaction with Elliott happens via text or phone call which makes me think the film didn’t have enough budget to include her fully. Would the film have benefited from more of her on screen? Perhaps. I found the initial text exchange when Elliott was sober a bit abrupt having only previously seen the two characters interact because Elliott took hallucinogens but it didn’t take away from the story in irreparable ways. If anything, maybe the lack of the film’s big star throughout made her presence more meaningful in the scenes when she was on screen.
My Old Ass is a delightful tale of growing up and facing life head on. Taking the uncertainty of leaving your childhood home for the first time at the age of eighteen, its message will be applicable to any experience of change and growing up through life and will resonate with audiences regardless of age. If it’s playing in theatres near you, I'd highly recommend trying to catch it while you can. If not on the big screen, though, My Old Ass is now also available for streaming on Prime Video.
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i enjoyed this film so much! but i agree, wish they had used aubrey plaza more!