My Old Ass (2024) * *

 

Directed by:  Megan Park

Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Maddie Ziegler, Percy Hynes White, Kerrice Brooks, Carter Trozollo, Seth Isaac Johnson, Maria Dizzia

Eighteen-year-old Elliot (Stella) is spending her last days at home before going off to college.  She finally lands the girl she always wanted to sleep with, and life seems pretty good.  One night, while high on mushrooms with her friends, her 39-year-old self (Plaza) appears next to her and tells her to avoid a guy named Chad.  Elliot thinks she's hallucinating, of course, but her older self is real.  Through some miracle, Elliot is also able to communicate via text and calls after her older version disappears.  

The next day while swimming in a lake, she meets the gangly Chad (White), a very sweet guy whom she takes a liking to despite the warnings.  He's seems perfect, and he'll even be going to the same school, so why should she stay away from him?  Does he have a dark, abusive side?  Is a drug addict or a criminal? Is he not who he says he is?  Elliot tries to contact her 39-year-old self to no avail.  She's going to have to figure this one out on her own.  

Elliot is not only confused by her feelings for Chad, but by her feelings for a man in general.  She always thought she was gay, until she met Chad.  But, what lies ahead?  My Old Ass is a time-bending drama which doesn't have the fun with the time travel elements like Back to the Future does.  The 39-year-old version of Elliot isn't on screen much.  When she does return, she reveals why she should've never met Chad, and it does pack some power, but if you're looking for a movie where Elliot tries to mess with the timeline to evoke a different outcome, you've come to the wrong movie.

There isn't anything wrong with a time-bending or time travel movie avoiding the pitfalls and cliches of the genre, but My Old Ass doesn't exploit the plot for all it's worth.  It's just kind of...there, and the movie follows itself to its destination solemnly.  You question why the older self showed up in the first place, since it doesn't change the trajectory much.