The Next Best Coming of Age Story.
I need to stress out by saying that you need to see this movie! No I'm not kidding, You Need to See My Old Ass. If you have a Letterboxd account, put this on your watchlist immediately. It releases this Friday, get a ticket, bring your friends, bring your family, bring anyone you know personally to see this movie. If you have to see The Wild Robot first, that's fine but do not skip out on this! The reason I tell you this is because I need you to believe me when I say that this is one of the best movies of 2024, and I don't say that lightly.
Let's talk about the cast let's talk about our leads first. Immediately after the film, I wanted to talk about Aubrey Plaza, the real quickly I want to talk about Maisy Stella. Playing an 18-year-old loose cannon, she captures the right amount of Sass and immaturity most teenagers had. Hell, I still feel a little immature and I'm 22. But I also have appraiser for whatever the film needs to get serious. Whenever she's learning something you feel like you're learning alongside her. Making new discoveries, uncovering the truths, all while continuing to live her young life. I'd be lying if I said, I related to her a lot throughout the movie. But I'd be an even bigger liar if I didn't say that Aubrey Plaza completely steals this movie. She's one of the few actors I grew up with, having watched a lot of Parks and Recreation as a kid. But this is by far her best performance I've seen in a long time. She still has her quirky, charm and attitude we all recognize her for, but she even excelled in the films darker moments. She gave us this monologue very early in the film, discussing the hardest parts about growing up, and her words genuinely stopped me for a second. It's a harsh truth you experience the older you get. Another sequence had me on the verge of tears, as she meets someone her younger self met early in the film. She doesn't even say that much, and yet she captures the right amount of feelings needed for that moment.
Let's delve into another strong element of the film, that being it's writing and themes. Conceptually this is a very interesting movie. I feel like I'm one point we've all had that idea of interacting with our younger or older self. I think Writer and Director Megan Park captures a lot of our expectations, and subverts them as the story progresses. The majority of the film we see Elliot running loose with her friends and not really caring much about what her future holds. It Isn't until a chance meeting with her future self that she's tasked to make her life meaningful. She starts spending time with her family, especially her brothers. She meets a guy that she was originally warned not to talk to. And you're wondering in every scene what's right or wrong, what could be a mistake or what could be helpful. I really enjoyed the way this played out, especially because of the characters. Along with great performances from the actors, you genuinely care about what they're gonna do for the rest of their life.
The film also provides a lot of good humor. It might take a couple more watches, but I genuinely found myself laughing and cracking up but a lot of the funniest parts of the film. Probably the highlight of the picture comes from an impromptu pop song cover and dance. Like an actual dance with choreography and lights. Not to mention the fact that the song is from an artist that I personally never really liked growing up, but they had a huge impression on other people my age.
I don't really have anything in terms of issues or flaws. The closest I could get to is that the trailer at least for me promised more. Like maybe we'd get a glimpse of what older Elliott's life is like in the future. Admittedly that is just a nitpick, but I would've loved to seen what scenes were cut out of the film once it hits DVD and Blu-ray.
So to reiterate, you need to go see this movie. I think a lot of people are going to find something that they can cling on or relate to throughout this picture. It features great writing, great themes, great humor, great performances from Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza, and an even greater vision from Director Megan Park. I honestly didn't think it was possible for another movie to peak my interest levels so high, after seeing Babes three separate times in theaters. But My Old Ass is on that same level and if you still don't believe me, buy a damn ticket and please go see it yourself.
Let's talk about the cast let's talk about our leads first. Immediately after the film, I wanted to talk about Aubrey Plaza, the real quickly I want to talk about Maisy Stella. Playing an 18-year-old loose cannon, she captures the right amount of Sass and immaturity most teenagers had. Hell, I still feel a little immature and I'm 22. But I also have appraiser for whatever the film needs to get serious. Whenever she's learning something you feel like you're learning alongside her. Making new discoveries, uncovering the truths, all while continuing to live her young life. I'd be lying if I said, I related to her a lot throughout the movie. But I'd be an even bigger liar if I didn't say that Aubrey Plaza completely steals this movie. She's one of the few actors I grew up with, having watched a lot of Parks and Recreation as a kid. But this is by far her best performance I've seen in a long time. She still has her quirky, charm and attitude we all recognize her for, but she even excelled in the films darker moments. She gave us this monologue very early in the film, discussing the hardest parts about growing up, and her words genuinely stopped me for a second. It's a harsh truth you experience the older you get. Another sequence had me on the verge of tears, as she meets someone her younger self met early in the film. She doesn't even say that much, and yet she captures the right amount of feelings needed for that moment.
Let's delve into another strong element of the film, that being it's writing and themes. Conceptually this is a very interesting movie. I feel like I'm one point we've all had that idea of interacting with our younger or older self. I think Writer and Director Megan Park captures a lot of our expectations, and subverts them as the story progresses. The majority of the film we see Elliot running loose with her friends and not really caring much about what her future holds. It Isn't until a chance meeting with her future self that she's tasked to make her life meaningful. She starts spending time with her family, especially her brothers. She meets a guy that she was originally warned not to talk to. And you're wondering in every scene what's right or wrong, what could be a mistake or what could be helpful. I really enjoyed the way this played out, especially because of the characters. Along with great performances from the actors, you genuinely care about what they're gonna do for the rest of their life.
The film also provides a lot of good humor. It might take a couple more watches, but I genuinely found myself laughing and cracking up but a lot of the funniest parts of the film. Probably the highlight of the picture comes from an impromptu pop song cover and dance. Like an actual dance with choreography and lights. Not to mention the fact that the song is from an artist that I personally never really liked growing up, but they had a huge impression on other people my age.
I don't really have anything in terms of issues or flaws. The closest I could get to is that the trailer at least for me promised more. Like maybe we'd get a glimpse of what older Elliott's life is like in the future. Admittedly that is just a nitpick, but I would've loved to seen what scenes were cut out of the film once it hits DVD and Blu-ray.
So to reiterate, you need to go see this movie. I think a lot of people are going to find something that they can cling on or relate to throughout this picture. It features great writing, great themes, great humor, great performances from Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza, and an even greater vision from Director Megan Park. I honestly didn't think it was possible for another movie to peak my interest levels so high, after seeing Babes three separate times in theaters. But My Old Ass is on that same level and if you still don't believe me, buy a damn ticket and please go see it yourself.
- LukeLimberis
- Sep 24, 2024