Written by Chris Snellgrove | Published
Have you ever been in the mood for a movie that makes you laugh and cry, often at the same time? My old ass (2024) is a 3D coming-of-age film starring Hollywood’s favorite girl next door, Aubrey Plaza, in what may be her greatest performance (and if you’re familiar with her work, that is a lot). If you’re ready for the best ride you can take without leaving your couch, you can now stream this modern classic on Prime Video.
She’s stumbling straight, boo
hypothesis My old ass It is about a teenage girl preparing to start a new life at university, and having mushroom tea with her best friends. She hallucinates when she sees an older version of herself, a version that gives the surprising advice to avoid a boy named Chad, and even programs her number into her younger phone under the context name “My Old Ass.” Of course, Chad enters her life, and our young heroine must decide whether to embrace the wisdom of her older incarnation or trust her feelings and live in the moment.
Cast My old ass Small and mostly filled with younger stars, including lead actress Maisie Stella (known outside of this film as nashville TV Show) as a young girl being her older self is a walking, talking cautionary tale. Maddie Ziegler (famous for… music) plays her friend, the person who provides “the baths that lead to the main character’s life-changing encounter with her older self. Percy Hines White (better known outside of this film for Wednesday Meanwhile, the TV series stars her as the attractive boy her future self is trying to warn her about.
Shroomscrolling with America’s girl next door
But it is not surprising that the strong performer in My old ass He is Aubrey Plaza (famous for Safety is not guaranteed), which imbues the older version of the main character with her own unique brand of dry humor. I’m not shocked that Plaza was good at delivering shit. After all, much of her character’s quirky humor is part of the lines she delivered as April Ludgate in Parks and recreation. But Plaza is surprisingly good at the dramatic elements of this film because she fully embraces the harsh reality of the question everyone asks themselves at the end: “What advice would you give your younger self if you could?”
Fortunately, My old ass It ended up becoming one of the most crowd-pleasing comedies of modern times. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 90 percent, and critics praised the film for its triple-A mix of off-color humor and surprisingly serious drama. They also praised Aubrey Plaza for her performance as an older version of the main character, someone who offers a combination of relatable millennial humor and the weary wisdom that only comes from getting older.
Hollywood’s next big director is already here
Interestingly, My old ass It ended up impressing Chris Columbus, the veteran director who brought us such classics as Alone at home and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He called this quirky comedy one of his favorite films of 2024 and singled out writer/director Megan Park as someone of “extraordinary promise” who is “a crucial element in our cinematic future.” He has compared her to superstar directors like Ryan Coogler and Robert Eggers and considered her one of Hollywood’s greatest rising creative talents.
On a personal level, I was as struck by Park’s film as Columbus: like many, I mostly wanted to watch My old ass Because Aubrey Plaza is one of the funniest performers in Hollywood. Plus, I love sci-fi, so what could be better than a movie featuring America’s favorite girl next door hacking away at time and space to give her little self-lessons? Going in, all I was really expecting was a light comedy about generational differences and the funny pains that come with getting older.
A funny movie with a serious message
while My old ass It provided all the comedy I wanted and more, and what really made me fall in love with the film was how it was a poignant meditation on what it means to truly be alive. Plaza’s character wants to spare her younger self the pain of aging, but her younger self is wise enough to realize that it is today’s traumas that shape us into what we are destined to become. To live is to take risks, and the film brilliantly argues that a life lived without risk is no life at all.
Would you agree to that? My old ass Is it one of the most inventive comedies ever made, or do you want to tell your younger self to avoid the mistake of watching this movie in the first place? The only way to find out is to grab the remote (‘rooms optional’) and stream this funny and poignant film on Prime Video yourself. Come for the corny comedy and stay for a surprisingly sweet message about love, life, and the role pain plays in helping you experience pure, unadulterated joy.
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