My Old Ass is an unorthodox film released in 2024 which is a comedy-drama coming to age movie intending to portray the complex journey of self-discovery of a young 18 year girl throughout an imaginative yet emotional storyline. The film is produced and directed by Megan Park, and features Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White and Maddie Ziegler alongside Maisy Stella who is debuting into the film industry with this movie. This fascinating drama follows the story of an 18 year old girl, Elliott, who meets her 39 year old self during a psychedelic trip; giving her a summer full of laughter, self reflection and the need to make vital decisions.
Synopsis
The film is set in a rural area of Canada where a freewilled teenager, Elliott, is ready to spent her final summer before she goes to College working on her cranberry farm with her family. Since she’s in a rush to grow up, on her 18th birthday she gives into her curiosity and decides to try out psychedelic mushrooms, while on this hallucinogenic journey, she meets her future self who tells her secrets about love, life and all the decisions she is going to have to face in the future.
Elliot starts to develop romantic feelings for Chad after her surreal experience while Chad’s character as a charming farm hand contradicts all her beliefs about her future. With the help of Elliott’s older self, Elliott is able to tackle all the responsibilities of being a young adult along with the expectations of her family and the bitter side of growing up.
Assault On My Own Rear End has been directed by Megan Park, who is even its script writer. Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Josey McNamara collaborated in producing this film. Our Main Cast includes Maisy Stella alongside Aubrey Plaza playing the Elliot at the age of 18 and 39 respectively. Percy Hynes and Maddie Ziegler are casted as Chad and Lila, who is Elliot’s best friend. Further supporting cast involves Kerrice Brooks as Sarah, who portrays a mother role for Elliot. The film was shot in Ontario, Canada due to its majestic scenery, and was produced by LuckyChap Entertainment, with Margot Robbie as one of the Executive Producer. My Old Ass has been advanced as the sequel of Megan Park’s debut film The Fallout, directed in 2021.
The film had its world debut at Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024, where it attracted praise from critics for creativity in the story and performances. Amazon MGM Studios remained interested and subsequently bought the distribution rights for the film for in excess of $15 million with plans for a nationwide release.By 13 September 2024, the film had its limited theatrical release and later in November 2024 was available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Critical Reception
The film My Old Ass has garnered favorable reviews from multiple critics and audience engagements as well. As per Rotten Tomatoes, 90 percent of audience gave the film a fresh rating and many described it as a certified hit.
Critics gave a positive response to this comedy drama combination film and appreciated the performance between Maisie Stella and Aubrey Plaza which was highly appreciated.
First showing at Comeback Studios, it has been reviewed by Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com as authentic and thoroughly winning and credited because it is changing the archetype coming of age movies.
The Times describe the movie as a comedy drama, a combination that worked well and give it a decent four star rating just because of its engaging and surprising content.
Maisy Stella has generated plenty of positive buzz about this film and the Associated Press has gone ahead to say a star is born.
Her character of Elliott goes through the challenges of that difficult stage of life which becomes the pivotal point of this film.
Themes and Analysis
My Old Ass grapples with themes of self-exploration, time, and growing up. The main idea of the film — the 39-year old man meeting his 18 old self – helps in understanding the fears of and dreams associated with being an adult.
The scenes between the two Elliotts narrate the battle between the notions held in youth and the insight of older age. The ideas of the older Elliott show her younger version that it is alright to be spontaneous and error-prone because that is how one learns how to grow and how to accept oneself.
Further, the film also addresses how identity is complex and life cannot be entirely predicted. Chad influenced Elliott’s beliefs about her future which in this context triggers ideas about love and sexuality and what is expected from a young woman by society.
Box Office Performance
My Old Ass was released in limited theaters and made an approximate total of $5.7 million worldwide.
Those without hesitance can consider these earnings low but for the niche setting of the film and the recent rise in the viewership of streaming platforms for indie movies, it makes sense to expect such figures. The subsequent release on Amazon Prime Video however made it more accessible for the audience to watch.
Conclusion
As a coming-of-age film, My Old Ass brings in a unique plot that is both comical, fantastical, and also emotional. Clear vision of Megan Park who directed and also starred Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza in leading roles, helps make the film a multi-generational success that is easy to watch. This film showcases storylines like self-discovery and moments in time, while also depicting that our choices in life are never deterministic, making it engaging and enjoyable.
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