“Life will never be the same as it is now.” I was going to watch “My Old Ass” strictly for Aubrey Plaza, and the fact it looked really funny, but I wasn’t expecting how deep it got.
This comedy/drama takes place in the few weeks leading up to Elliot, played by Maisy Stella, going to college. Elliot wanted nothing more than to leave her hometown of Muskoka and her family’s cranberry farm, and she spent her summer soaking up all the time she could get with her friends before she went off to Toronto for college. While camping with her friends on an island to celebrate her 18th birthday, she takes a hallucinogenic that summons an older version of Elliot, played by Aubrey Plaza, who is 39 and is going for her Ph.D.
The older version of herself seems too real to brush off, and this leaves Elliot confused and conflicted, especially when older Elliot tells her younger self to not get involved with ‘Chad.’ because it seemingly doesn’t end well. When she woke up the next day, she found that it was somewhat real. She looked at her phone and saw “My Old Ass” as a contact, and she was able to contact her older self through call and text.
The slight sci-fi element of Elliot being able to contact older Elliot is a fun aspect, and the sci-fi didn’t subtract from the coming-of-age feel of this movie. She calls older Elliot often for advice on what to do and any random updates until older Elliot randomly stops replying and answering calls. Naturally, Elliot soon finds herself meeting the aforementioned Chad and starts to really like him…
The movie was shot primarily outdoors, which made it feel really cozy. There were many cut scenes of calm, colorful sunsets and plenty of shots of the lake and rivers. It highlighted what home was for Elliot and what she loved about it.
As the movie progressed, it only made me feel more. The last 20 minutes of the movie hit me the hardest. Comfort and conflict, nostalgia, naivety and the need to do what feels right were some of the strongest things I felt and related to while I watched. I know it hasn’t been long since I was in Elliot’s spot, I was there only three years ago, but this movie made me remember what it felt like to be back in those vulnerable spots where there was nothing in the future but the unknown.
It made me remember that it is okay to feel like there isn’t enough time to love the people we love and do everything we wish, but we can’t let that fact tie us down. We can’t let sad endings make us regret the love and happiness we feel. We can’t let our past and the knowledge of these facts let the time we have escape us. Sometimes we want to rethink parts of our lives and how our choices may affect us, it’s the main conflict Elliot faced, but she didn’t let the idea of a bad ending stop her from having a good time in the present.