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Film Review: My Old Ass

randazzojj123

Welcome back to the blog readers. One of the few film genres I try to avoid due to the fact that they are not great and disingenuous is the comedy genre. There are not a whole lot of comedy films that I think are very good, hence why I try to avoid seeing them. When I heard about this film, however, I personally did not know what to think at first. Honestly, the trailer kind of sold me on the film. With that being said, would I find this one to be an exception to the norm? Stick around to find out.


My Old Ass was written and directed by Megan Park. The film stars Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, and Aubrey Plaza. In the film, a young woman who just turned 18 believes she can follow the advice given to her by her older self about not falling in love, until she meets the boy she is warned about.


Like I said in the introduction, comedy is the one generally try to avoid because they are almost always disingenuous and almost offensive. Although I may have missed a few of the good ones over the last number of years like Crazy Rich Asians (2018), there have been stinkers like Ticket to Paradise (2022). Hence my rule. But Joy Ride (2023) was an exception to that rule, because it was extremely funny and raunchy, and so is this film. Although not as funny (and not raunchy) as Joy Ride, but it is a very good film nonetheless. Aubrey Plaza gives an awards-worthy performance, and Maisy Stella has just as much fire.


I first want to mention the poster child of this film, and that is Aubrey Plaza. Although her previous film outing Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023) was a snooze fest (and my pick for the third worst film of 2023), I did not see myself feeling this way about her performance in this film. I did tease it last paragraph but I believe she has an outside change to snag one of those five nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Her performance in this film was witty, powerful, and emotional, especially at the climax of the film. I found it very easy to root for her character, even though she is playing the older version of the character played by Maisy Stella (who I am about to talk about). Between this and her role on Agatha All Along (2024), Plaza is killing it right now.


We spoke already about older Elliott, and now we have to talk about the younger version of the character played by the aforementioned Maisy Stella. Believe it or not, this is the acting debut in a film of Maisy Stella. You could have told me she started as a child actor and I would have believe you because she is stellar in this film. Not often do I find myself gravitating towards the teenagers in films because they are almost always depicted as stupid and stereotypical of teenagers of the time. This film is different, because we see Stella deliver on a wide range of emotions from embarrassment to sadness to plain old love. I think she will definitely be around for a while after this role and am interested in her career going forward.


And I believe the lifeblood of this film is not in the performances, although they are stellar, but it is the themes that are represented in this film. One major theme that the older Elliott exudes is that of holding on to the past. This is a theme that hits close to home for me because there are things in my past that I have not been able to let go of and it can be crippling to have to live my life based on the past. However, the younger Elliott carries the theme of not being handcuffed to the future, and that is a theme that everybody can relate to. "Would you make certain decisions if you knew the outcome beforehand?" is a question that many people would debate and ponder about.


In conclusion, My Old Ass is a heartwarming comedy-drama that features stellar performances from the two leads and a surprisingly emotional story with themes that everyone can relate to. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.

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