"I just really wish that time would just stop for a second so I could enjoy it for a little bit longer." says the just turned 18 year old Elliot in this enchanting and touching film. Elliot is played by a luminescent Maisy Stella. She's counting down with excitement her last days at home on the farm with her family before heading off to college in the city. She's spending one of her last nights with her two best friends camping out and getting high on mushrooms. Her trip brings conjures up her 39 year old self played by the doe eyed Aubrey Plaza to perfection. In their hilarious encounter, older Elliot (Plaza) needs to do some convincing to persuade her younger self she is not just a figment of her stoned imagination. Once convinced, young Elliot asks for advice and gets a meaningful mouthful from the wisecracking Plaza. "I wasted so much time caring about what others thought. Don't make that mistake." is one of her many words of wisdom, along with, "Stay away from someone named Chad." The next day Elliot shrugs off the encounter as a drug infused hallucination only to be taken aback when she meets a guy named Chad and finds Plaza in her cell under "My Old Ass" with whom she continues to communicate via calls/text. This is a surprising and delightful coming of age story, a stirring "wake up and smell the roses" and a warm reminder to savor being young and dumb. Elliot had always considered herself a lesbian but finds herself drawn to the funny and unassuming Chad. One of the many charms of the film was Elliot's self-discoveries. She confides in her friend that she's attracted to a boy, "I feel like I'm being pulled in different directions and I don't know who I am anymore." The movie sparkles visually and resonates with genuine emotions. Stella and Plaza playoff each other convincingly as two factions of the same person in a taut and unusual relationship. My favorite scene is where Elliot admits to Plaza she and Chad had sex and demands to know what Chad had done that was so horrible. Chad comes upon the two of them and Elliot is stunned, as are we, that Plaza and Chad appear real to each other. This encounter strikes at the essence of what the older Elliot wants to impart and also takes to heart, "Don't let fear hold you back. It's the biggest thief of joy." MY OLD ASS is a joyous film filled with splendor. It blends youthful exuberance for the future with a pensive perspective towards living in the present. My favorite quote in this film that ended too quickly for me is, "Time slips away faster than you think, so love hard and laugh harder." This is one of my favorite films of 2024.
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