Aubrey Plaza is another one of those actors that you could call “Sundance Royalty”. A fan favorite at the festival whether starring in raunchy comedies or going dramatic, as she did in the excellent Emily the Criminal just a couple of years ago. Plaza returned to Park City earlier this year for My Old Ass, which combines all of the things she’s proven to be great at, with a sci-fi twist.
The sophomore feature from Megan Park (her breakout film was 2021’s The Fallout), My Old Ass stars Plaza as the older version of Elliot, who goes back in time to warn her younger self not to fall in love with a specific guy who ruins their life. Of course, Elliot’s words of warning fall on deaf ears.
Playing the younger version of Elliot is Nashville actor/singer Maisy Stella. Also in the cast are Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Seth Isaac Johnson, and Kerrice Brooks. Margot Robbie is aboard as a producer, too.
SYNOPSIS: In this fresh, big-hearted take on the classic coming-of-age fable, free-spirited teenager Elliott (Maisy Stella) encounters her wisecracking 39-year-old future self (Aubrey Plaza)—and can’t escape her influence. On the cusp of leaving home for college, Elliott is determined to have one last summer packed with good times and girl crushes. To celebrate her 18th birthday, she boats off to a remote island with her best friends to trip on mushrooms. But just when Elliott thinks she’s not feeling a thing, she suddenly finds herself chatting with a woman who claims to be her literal “old ass” (Aubrey Plaza)—the person she is apparently destined to become in two decades. Prodded for advice, Elliott’s future self gives her one major warning: avoid anyone named Chad, which sounds easy enough. But when Elliott meets the very Chad (Percy Hynes White) she was supposed to dodge, things get complicated. Elliott starts to open herself to what her future self might have to show her…and vice versa. From director Megan Park (The Fallout).
Early reviews have been positive, including from our writer Cortland Jacoby. I saw it, as well, and was surprised at how thoughtful the film was when I was expecting, from the title, something ridiculous and vulgar.
Amazon MGM Studios will release My Old Ass in theaters on September 13th.
