“My Old Ass” revolves around 18-year-old Elliot, played by Maisy Stella, taking mushrooms on her birthday and meeting her 39-year-old self, played by Aubrey Plaza, and the days leading up to her move to Toronto. The film, while advertised as a comedy, genuinely plays with one’s heartstrings as it deals with growing up, leaving one’s family and hometown and realizing not to take the little things for granted.
One of the main questions and topics that surrounded the roundtable interview with Maisy Stella and director Megan Park was how Elliot was written and how the film was able to escape any labels of being “cringy” by trying too hard to replicate the way Gen-Z speaks. Park responded that she did not try to replicate any specific phrases and linguistic choices to help eliminate the feeling of being dated.
“I also tried to poke fun at this by having her older self make the comment about how no one says ‘MILF’ in the future. I also tried to write Elliot as a character,” said Park.
Stella also chimed in on this question by talking about how the script immediately caught her attention since it was not like something she had seen before. She talked about how most scripts about people in her age group tend to be one-noted and written like a caricature instead of a real human.
Park explained how she was sick of the trope of the angsty teenage girl who hates her parents and is rude yet is still the person the audience is supposed to root for. She said, “I just think it’s so boring and not real and layered. And I certainly wasn’t anything like Elliot at 18 but at the same time I had such a complicated relationship like she did with home.”
Elements like that help make the film more nuanced since it makes the film not only more realistic but also helps with the timeless aspect that Park was aiming for. She also stated that it was one of her reasons for making the film more optimistic and having Elliot actually strengthen her relationship with her parents before she leaves for college. Park wanted to bring the feeling of wanting to leave home but also not wanting to leave it and growing up.
“That’s why I chose to include the scene of Elliot checking in on her parents sleeping and choosing to sleep in her brothers’ room on the floor to showcase that feeling of not wanting to grow up but still remain independent,” said Park.
When asked if Stella related to Elliot and the feeling of growing up too fast, Stella was able to recount how being a child actor led to her always feeling like she had left the house too early and felt sentimental since she related to certain struggles that Elliot faced. Stella also added that just like Elliot she is also deeply optimistic and “all the things Elliot starts as and ends as” and was able to use her own experience and feelings to help bring Elliot to life as a more realistic and lived-in character.
Creating a lived-in character was also successful through Park’s ability to let her character add their own input and thoughts into a character. Park started off as an actor before transitioning to directing. She said that “if all goes well, I hope I will never have to appear on the camera and can stay on the opposite side of it.”
One element of this collaborated effect can be seen during the second trip scene where Elliot imagines the “Dreamer Girl” from a Justin Bieber concert. Elements from that scene were added based on Stella’s input, like allowing Elliot to be the one acting as Justin Bieber and singing the song.
In addition to discussing growing up and leaving one’s home, the film also touches on themes of sexuality. Elliot is at first portrayed as a lesbian, yet her main love interest in the film is a guy. This is brought up in a very memorable and touching scene where Elliot talks about how she does not like labels.
The discussion ends with Park and Stella giving the attending students advice on how to enjoy the little things in life and not take them for granted. Park discusses that she is trying to reduce her screen time and stay more in the moment to help reduce any stress and tension that can occur with the constant usage of social media and having an internet persona.
It is easy to see why “My Old Ass” resonated with so many people. Not only did the film deal with interesting topics like growing up and sexuality, it was also able to relate with them due to the crew of people who actually wanted to start a discussion and create a comfort film that will hopefully reach the level of appreciation and cultural significance like “Juno” in the future.
“My Old Ass” is now streaming on Prime Video and can be rented or purchased on any digital retailer.