My Old Ass review: excellent performances and writing help bring something new to the coming-of-age genre

3.5 stars When it comes to the stages of life in America, few moments have been explored more comprehensively in cinema than the few weeks between graduating high school and leaving for college. And why not — there’s a lot to explore. You have hormonal teens facing the biggest upheaval of their young lives, with the prospect of one final summer with their friends and family before college and the inexorable evolution to adulthood begins. The coming-of-age genre has delivered so many classic movies over the years, from Dazed And Confused to Pretty In Pink, and, more recently, Lady Bird and Superbad. Of course, they’re not all winners, and the worst examples pay the price for how well trodden the material is by being so generic and forgettable. My Old Ass skilfully avoids that fate with a premise that offers something new to the genre. Written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Megan Park (The Fallout), the film examines what would happen if you could have a conversation with your future self. Back To The Future would have most of us worried about tearing a hole in the space-time continuum, but that doesn’t stop 18-year-old Elliot (Maisy Stella) when she has the chance to converse with a 38-year-old version of herself, played by the excellent Aubrey Plaza. To be fair, her judgment is a little impaired, because her future self only becomes available after a liberal application of magic mushrooms. Who needs a flux capacitor when you’ve got psychoactive substances. The interaction comes at a critical juncture in Elliot’s life — she’s having one final summer on the family farm in the beautiful wilderness of Ontario before leaving for college. Just like Superbad, there’s an element of sexual adventure, which is sidetracked by a warning from her older self to stay away from a dude named Chad, who Elliot has never met. When she eventually meets him (Chad is played by Wednesday star Percy Hynes White), what was initially fobbed off as a weird mushroom trip becomes all too real. Poignant almost to a fault, the film is a wistful paean to the innocence of youth, with Plaza’s older Elliot offering the counterpoint of childhood dreams unfulfilled. Stella, a Canadian singer, is magnetic in her first film role, reminiscent of early-career Florence Pugh, and is surely destined for big things. So too is Park if she keeps making movies like this. The central premise may irk some people, but just remember we don’t blink an eye about the believability of superhero or sci-fi movies. My Old Ass is funny, sweet and, if you’re not careful, might just wallop you with its final emotional punch. 3.5 stars Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White, Maisy Stella Rating: MA15+ In Cinemas: Now