By Lisa Perini ‘26 (Reporter)
When I originally went to the movies to see Megan Park’s 2024 comedy, My Old A**, I knew almost nothing about it. It was recommended to me by the grandmother of a close friend who briefly explained the premise, and the title caught me so off guard I got curious. The moment I saw Aubrey Plaza on the movie poster (along with the title), I knew I was going to get a good laugh (despite her barely being in it). However, I was not expecting to get a heartwarming reminder to make the most of every moment, as well.
My Old A** tells the story of a teenage Elliott (Maisy Stella), who meets her thirty-nine-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) on the night of her eighteenth birthday after taking hallucinogens. Taking place just three weeks before she leaves for college in the big city, Elliott is reminded by her older, wiser, possibly hallucinated self to spend time with her family because “life will never be the same as it is right now” (and also to avoid someone named Chad, but that’s pretty much all I can say without spoiling). After the initial meetings and multiple phone calls from her older self, the girl who dreams of leaving her small-town life finds herself savoring every moment she previously took for granted. She went from standing her family members up for dinner on her birthday to making sure quality time was spent with each one of them.
This is probably one of my favorite coming-of-age movies. While being simultaneously serious and lighthearted, it also does a lot of things differently. I feel like a lot of coming-of-age movies make growing up to be this terrible thing and almost like the end of the world. But My Old A** accepts adulthood while still cherishing youth. It also de-villainizes parents in the way a lot of teenage movies tend not to do. I’m not saying that tensions with parents never happen and should never be discussed, I’m saying it was refreshing to see a mom and a daughter get closer together throughout the events of this movie as opposed to feeling like they were being torn apart the whole time. The mother-daughter bond is only slightly mentioned during Elliott’s journey of bonding with her family, but there was a really beautiful heart-to-heart conversation between them that stuck with me as a key moment.
This movie was also incredibly clever. The dialogue always felt playful, even during the more serious moments. I spent the better part of this movie doubling over in laughter. With lots of parts that are meant to be in-our-faces funny, like recreating a performance of Justin Bieber’s One Less Lonely Girl with colorful lights in the middle of the woods. But also some more ‘subtle’ comments, like joking about naming a boat ‘That’s What Sea Said’ or even the joke that references the title (watch and find out).

We’re also at a point in time where movies about Gen Z can be a little bit of a taboo, as it’s mostly being done by millennials. We can end up with something as incredible as Bottoms (2023) or experience massive amounts of second-hand embarrassment from things like that Gen Z Hospital SNL sketch and Incoming (2024). My Old A** was a great depiction of Gen Z. It just felt more ‘real’ in regards to this aspect. Like every comedy movie, things were exaggerated, but not to the point where it felt weird considering the film’s context.
Part of this realness, however, doesn't just come from the script, but also the actors. Maisy Stella’s laid-back mannerisms, while being extremely energetic, really added so much life and authenticity to this movie, as well. It never felt like she was over-acting; she was simply ‘experiencing’ the plot and responding to what happened in ways that felt like other people my age (including myself) would act. This realness was paired with Aubrey Plaza’s extremely deadpan delivery in everything she does, which was the cherry on top. As hilarious as this movie is, it’s also showing us the characters' maturation before our eyes. Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella don’t really look alike, but the blend of their energies makes them a compelling older/younger self duo.
The only thing you can never really get back is time. That’s something that’s been on my mind a lot lately and definitely on the minds of the writers, too. I know it sounds sad, but instead of thinking about all the time that’s been wasted, take it as a reminder to live life to the fullest. We have the habit of not realizing how good something is until it passes. As this movie was my reminder to enjoy life and break this habit, take this review as a reminder to do the same. And watch My Old A**.
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