If you could go meet an older version of yourself, what would you want to ask? If the question intrigues you, you may find amusement in My Old Ass, a fantasy movie in which an 18-year-old (Maisy Stella) meets herself when she's on the brink of turning 40.
Aubrey Plaza plays the older version of Stella's Elliott. The older Elliott appears when the younger Elliott drinks hallucinatory tea made from mushrooms.
Stella and Plaza don't look alike, but director Megan Park dodges the issue, focusing more on emotional dynamics than appearance.
For me, the main attraction here is Plaza, who has evolved into an interesting actress. But Plaza's presence in the story is limited by a plot that focuses mostly on young Elliott.
Teenage Elliott identifies as gay, but develops an increasingly affectionate relationship with Chad (Percy Hynes White), a young man who's spending the summer on a nearby farm. The relationship occurs after the older Elliott warns her younger self not to fall for anyone named Chad.
As Maisy discovers the world of gender fluidity, she wonders what her attraction to Chad means; the movie suggests that people don't always know who they are or who they might become.
Stella portrays Maisy as a young woman trying to find her footing as she prepares to leave her Canadian home, a cranberry farm where she lives with her mother (Maria Dizzia), father (Alain Goulem), and two brothers (Seth Isaac Johnson and (Carter Trozzolo).
The film includes a big reveal, and Park easily shifts to sentiment without allowing the film to become cloying. Ultimately, My Old Ass overcomes Elliott's more annoying tendencies and delivers a message about gathering rosebuds before reality creates its inevitable ambush.
Deep? Not really, but the message nicely fits a slender piece of work.
A footnote: For many, the idea of viewing a 39-year-old ass as "old" might seem a stretch mark too far.
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