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My Old Ass Movie Review

My Old Ass is a 2024 Canadian science fiction drama film directed by Megan Park and starring Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza. It’s a surprisingly good and charming flick.

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“I just really wish that time would just stop for a second

so I could enjoy it for a little bit longer“

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A mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott face-to-face with her 39-year-old self. But when Elliott’s “old ass” delivers warnings to her younger self, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about her family, life and love. This is one of those indie movies that are dramatic and somewhat comedic in their tone, but with a fantastical concept that livened things up considerably. The SF concept with time travel worked for me, though it was obviously just drug-related.

That fantastical element led to the existentialist examining of life, the passage of time and personal growth as we see the protagonist grapple with her age, mortality and life choices and ambitions. I would have liked to have seen even more of these themes explored at a great depth, but ultimately a lighter tone and take on this usually scary thought worked as it made the movie feel different and unique.

Maisy Stella is the main star of the picture and she was surprisingly good in what is her first role on screen. Her Elliott is very well developed and Stella is quite charming playing her. And of course you’ve got Aubrey Plaza as her older self. I am always up for more Plaza on my screen as she’s such an underrated actress. I needed more of her, but at least she was reliably outstanding and memorable. Percy Hynes White of ‘Wednesday’ fame was also solid in a smaller, but important role.

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My Old Ass is far from cinematic as it’s a typically small in scope indie flick with standard cinematography, score and editing. Nothing really was worthy of praise in those technical areas, but at least the acting was strong and the directing is surprisingly competent. The movie flows well and is particularly moving in its inspiring ending. I loved its tone and how realistic its characters were, but the dialogue was cringe-worthy at times, especially the SJW jargon that was sadly included.