My Old Ass (2024), directed by Megan Park, stars Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White, Seth Isaac Johnson, Kerrice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Maddie Ziegler, Carter Trozzola, Alain Goulem, and Alexandria Rivera. The follows Elliot (Stella), a free-spirited 18-year-old on the verge of leaving for college who decides to eat psychedelic mushrooms with her two friends. While tripping, her 39-year-old self (Plaza) appears and provides her with multiple warnings relating to the future, the most important of which is to avoid a mystery boy named Chad (Johnson) at all costs. This visit encourages Elliot to spend more time with her family and appreciate the small moments. Everything is going great until Elliot meets Chad and quickly falls in love. 

I was initially thrown off by Maisy Stella’s lead performance, and I think this is due to the script’s commitment to realistic teen dialogue. There’s a certain “I talk like an idiot” cadence she has that’s authentically teen, but annoying/grating. That being said, she quickly won me over because the character is written to be complex. Stella also shows that she’s up to the task in the movie’s more emotional/serious moments. It helps as well that she’s able to build some effective chemistry with Percy Hynes White. I’m not sure if this is due to their performances or the way their characters are written, but either way, it works. Plaza pretty much does her typical schtick, but it’s controlled to the point where she conveys the proper maturity her character requires. 

The movie works right from the beginning because it wastes little time getting to its unique premise. In other words, it’s a very well-paced movie that only runs about 89 minutes. Character work is efficient and very few scenes feel like a waste of time (excluding a Justin Beiber-themed dream sequence). Granted, beyond the fun premise, this is essentially just a typical teen angst/romance movie. It is also very modern in the sense that every teenager here seems to have something different going on with their sexuality. The interesting thing is that most movies focusing on the struggles of LGBTQ characters often follow characters who are straight or questioning who then eventually accept their gayness. Elliot’s arc is sort of a flip on that trope in the sense that she’s openly and proudly gay from the beginning (even talking shit about straight people) but eventually falls in love with a guy. It works well because it isn’t done to devalue the experience of being gay, it’s done to shine a light on the sometimes complicated nature of teenagers finding their sexuality. 

Although it sometimes struggles as a teen movie experience, it works extremely well as a traditional romance. It has all the elements: tragic love, dorky meet-cute, and two people accidentally falling on top of one another in a perfect kissing position. This could come off as unoriginal, but again, the slightly supernatural/fantastical premise makes up for it. It adds a unique struggle to the romance that’s unlike most films in the genre. 

Overall, this is a sweet romance that works due to its tight script that seamlessly blends various genres including Sci-Fi, Romance, and teen drama. This won’t appeal to audiences adverse to some palpable teenage cringe, but even then, it’s something I stopped noticing 15 minutes in. If you’re not disgusted by the more cringy aspects of the younger generation, you’re sure to have a good time. B