My Old Ass is a damn fun movie. It’s partly the fantastic, rapid-fire dialogue (the whole movie is a speedy treat, yet somehow chill at the same time). It’s partly the refreshingly natural look and feel of the characters – for example, Elliott’s hair's never perfect. It's not a "movie" looking movie. Maybe that’s why we felt more belief in this story than other “magical realism” films. The concept is just so juicy – who wouldn’t want to know which pitfalls to avoid in their future? Who wouldn’t want to go back and give yourself the advice that nobody else (literally nobody) is equipped to give? But after that top layer of fun is peeled back, writer/director Megan Park asks us to ponder the delicate balance between life experience being a gift, and a burden. Read more of our thoughts on MY OLD ASS at good.film: https://good.film/guide/life-going-nowhere-you-need-a-visit-from-my-old-ass

It's her eighteenth birthday and her "ET" loving parents are waiting with their cake for daughter "Elliott" (Maisy Stella). She's off with her pals though, camping out and drinking a particularly potent mushroom tea. Next thing, she finds herself sitting on a fireside log chatting to a thirty-nine year old version of herself (Aubrey Plaza). Hallucinating? Well yes, but somehow her older self manages to leave her a phone number and give her a little advice about her future with the as yet unknown "Chad". Next day she's doing a bit of skinny dipping and guess who she meets? There's the semblance of a spark, but up until now "Elliott" was a confirmed lesbian and armed with the portentous advice from her own future, concludes it's best to avoid the lad. Can she, though? Should she? Auteur Megan Park has worked this really quite entertainingly as she uses the character of "Elliott" to illustrate the selfishness of youth. Taking family and friends for granted, thinking we know it all and that nobody else could ever hope to understand us. The lively interaction between the two women and, ultimately, with the young man might just serve to open her eyes to the joys of being who she is and of looking forward to her future - even when she knows that it's going to be a bumpy ride. It poses the question to us all. If we knew that the life that we were about to embark upon was doomed to failure, would we still follow those impulses or might we heed the warnings and just play it safe? Stella plays her role engagingly and the few scenes with the sylphlike young "Chad" (Percy Hynes White) have a certain humorous charm to them too. Sure, it does play to a few stereotypes but sometimes these resonate more than we might like them to. It's maybe not a cinema film, but it's way better than your usual teenage angst movie, and worth a watch.

<em>'My Old Ass'</em> is very cute. It features an impressive Maisy Stella performance, too. The lead is honestly great throughout, the type that is so convincing that it barely feels like you're watching someone act; Stella is particularly good when it comes to her character's more emotional side. Elsewhere, Aubrey Plaza doesn't appear terribly much but still manages to leave a mark - she's always a person I enjoy seeing act. Obviously it isn't a perfect movie or anything, one or two bits of dialogue are a little iffy and the ending is a tad rushed (?) and easy to predict. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm not actually criticising this as I really enjoyed the whole 90 or so minutes. Amusing. Sweet. Recommended.