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As film festival season begins to wrap up, film buffs await the theatrical and streaming releases of the films that premiered at festivals, such as Sundance and Cannes. While some of the bigger film festivals have begun prep for next season, other smaller festivals are still going strong in their own right. I had the opportunity to attend NewFest Pride in New York City, an LGBTQ+ film festival, marking the beginning of Pride Month. While looking through the different options of films to attend, ‘My Old Ass’ stuck out to me, as I recognized director, Megan Park’s name from ‘The Fallout’. ‘The Fallout’ is a hidden gem film, winning the Narrative Feature category at South by Southwest in 2021. While both films are incredibly different, ‘My Old Ass’ still features unintentional comedy and messages about living life to the fullest that ‘The Fallout’ portrayed as well. ‘My Old Ass’ originally premiered at Sundance and received a 10-minute standing ovation, which was well deserved.
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‘MY OLD ASS’
‘My Old Ass’ tells the story of Elliott, a Canadian teen who wants nothing more than to leave her home on her family’s cranberry farm and move to Toronto. While trying mushrooms with her two best friends on her eighteenth birthday, Elliott, portrayed by Maisy Stella, encounters her older self, who is played by none other than Aubrey Plaza. While the older Elliott, or “My Old Ass”, steers away from giving too much advice, she warns Elliott to stay away from anyone named Chad. Just a few days later, Elliott meets Chad, a student working at her family’s farm for the summer. Elliott struggles to follow her gut and her heart and begin a relationship with Chad, or listen to her older self and steer clear.
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and the Revolution for Children All Over the World:
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The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question
‘My Old Ass’ is Megan Park’s second film, and she has easily established her voice in this film. What I appreciated about this film ‘The Fallout’ is that the lines all feel like regular conversation, rather than lines of dialogue. Maddie Ziegler, who was featured in both films, has stated that Park utilized improvisation in ‘The Fallout’, and I assume ‘My Old Ass’ was no different. While some lines felt a little too socially conscious and self-aware, I generally feel that Megan Park has a strong voice in her writing and directing that brings longevity to her work as an auteur. Each of her characters feels so real, and the world of this film is so unique. Not to mention, the location of the woods and farmland of Canada is not only beautiful in aesthetic, but it’s a place that many audiences would not think of basing a film.
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HEARTFELT THEMES
One of the themes of ‘My Old Ass’ is discovering your identity. The main character, Elliott, goes through her own journey of self-discovery and figuring that maybe she likes men as well as women. The character Chad is the first time she has ever had a crush on a man. This is a debate that many queer women have been going through in recent years. While Elliott worries about how she would label herself, she realizes that she doesn’t need to put an exact label on herself at that moment and that she isn’t any less queer if she is with a man. I thought the way this film handled queerness was so solid. Many LGBTQ+ films advertise themselves as such and focus on the label and coming out aspect of queerness. I appreciated how casual Elliott’s identity was, as many films don’t take this approach. Of course, not all experiences are as casual and easy as others, but in the changing world we live in, not every queer experience is the same, nor groundbreaking as the next. Coming out is becoming less and less extravagant than it once was in the early 2000s and 2010s. However, the conversation around Elliott’s identity felt really common and familiar for many Gen Zers.
Another theme of the film is family. I think we can all relate to not appreciating our family in our teenage years. Throughout the film, Elliot’s “Old Ass” encourages her younger self to spend more time with her family before she leaves for Toronto in two weeks. While Elliott initially ignores this advice, she begins to bond with her family, especially her mother and brothers. Through this, she learns to appreciate the farm and her family, which is a realization that many people go through as they grow older. I thought that this theme of connecting with your family was significant, especially for viewers who are in or going to college and moving away from their hometowns. The subplots of Elliott connecting with her family brought a heartfelt look into growing up and connecting with your loved ones.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
The performances in this film were absolute standouts. Maisy Stella, who plays Elliott, was so natural in her acting. This was Stella’s first acting role, and audiences are already hungry for more from the singer. She brings so much heart and soul to her character, as well as just feeling like a normal person rather than an actor onscreen. Her chemistry and similarity to Aubrey Plaza were perfect, as I truly believed that the two were the same. Both actors were able to work together in tandem to play the same character, and I feel like this pairing worked extremely well. Both have a deadpan and witty humor to them, as well as a complete seriousness to themselves. The film addresses the differences in appearance between Stella and Plaza, but I was able to believe that they were the same person.
‘My Old Ass’ is a comedy at its core. Many moments of the film caused the audience to burst out in laughter and kick their feet at some of the film’s hilarious moments. One actor that I didn’t expect to laugh so much at was Maddie Ziegler. Ziegler was one of this film’s funniest parts, which surprised me. While I have always respected and appreciated Ziegler’s work as an actor and a dancer, I’ve never been the biggest fan of her acting. Her performances sometimes feel clunky and unnatural. However, these were all more serious roles in more dramatic films. Maddie Ziegler needs to be cast in more comedies, as she truly excels in these funny roles. While her part in ‘My Old Ass’ was a smaller, supporting role, I thought she was a standout comedic performance. Again, Ziegler needs to be in more comedic roles.
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‘My Old Ass’, at its core, is a funny, smart, and heartfelt story about growing up, finding yourself, your identity, and all types of love. Megan Park has longevity as a writer and director, and it would be no surprise to me if she continues to become bigger and bigger in the film world. ‘My Old Ass’ will be officially released in theatres on 13th September 2024, and audiences should be ready to run to the nearest movie theatre to see this gem of a film.
Cast: Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Aubrey Plaza | Director: Megan Park | Writer: Megan Park | Producers: Tom Ackerley, Margot Robbie, Josey McNamara, Steven Rales | Cinematography: Kristen Correll | Editing: Jennifer Vecchiarello
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Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
