Aubrey Plaza’s character My Old Ass solves a central problem in many coming-of-age films

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Aubrey Plaza’s character My Old Ass solves a central problem in many coming-of-age films

Aubrey Plaza’s new coming-of-age film My old ass It’s now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and it perfectly deals with a common problem in this genre. My old ass chronicles Elliott’s journey into adulthood, which becomes quite unusual when she stumbles upon mushrooms in the woods with her friends and ends up encountering her older self. Throughout the film, it is not entirely clear whether old Elliott is real or a hallucination caused by the mushrooms. While the My old ass The ending leaves the answer somewhat ambiguous, most signs point to the older Elliott being real.

Whether the older Elliott is real or not ultimately becomes irrelevant, especially since My old ass it’s really about Elliott learning to value his family. This is in part accomplished by the elder Elliott’s revelations about the future, but the elder Elliott also manages to convince Elliott to see the error of his ways with his family and learn to live in the now. One of the most significant examples of this goes far beyond the simple My old ass and it’s the perfect solution to a huge problem with coming-of-age films, especially about young women.

My old ass doesn’t make aging seem miserable

Despite the title of my old ass, aging is presented in a positive light


Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella in a scene from My Old Ass

The title of My old ass is clearly a joke that plays on the idea that the elder Elliott is out of touch and has aged considerably, despite the character being only 39 in the film. Elliott teases the older Elliott about his age all the time My old assin fact, even calling her middle-aged, which (jokingly) irritates the older Elliott. Despite these jokes and Elliott’s perception of the older Elliott as slightly older than he actually is, Of course these comments are nothing more than jokes.

My old ass presents aging in a positive light.

On the contrary, My old ass presents aging in a positive light, with the older Elliott appearing wiser and more compassionate compared to some of Elliott’s more selfish and impulsive behaviors, such as sneaking out to eat mushrooms instead of spending time with his family before leaving for college . It also becomes clear throughout the film that Elliott truly trusts the opinion of his older self, suggesting that the older Elliott becomes a figure that Elliott respects. This is a big change from the common perception of aging in coming-of-age films, which often shows the protagonist being afraid of getting older..

My Old Butt’s Positive Aging Representation Goes Beyond Aubrey Plaza’s Elliott

Elliott’s relationship with his mother takes a rare but beautiful turn


Elliot bonding with his mother in My Old Ass

While it’s wonderful to see a nearly 30-year-old character presented as funny, charming, and witty, it’s not just the elder Elliott who serves as a positive representation of the old age between My old ass’ cast of characters. Elliott’s mother is also respected and is ultimately someone Elliott comes to appreciate much more.. This dynamic between Elliott and his mother is perhaps even more revolutionary than the older Elliott’s portrayal. Too often, coming-of-age films focused on teenagers place mother and daughter face to face, with the mothers looking like they just don’t get it.

Too often, coming-of-age films focused on teenagers place mother and daughter face to face, with the mothers looking like they just don’t get it.

My old ass avoid this completely. Although Elliott starts out avoiding her family and not recognizing how wonderful her parents and siblings really are, by the end of the film it becomes clear that Elliott sees how much her mother did for her. What’s more, this revelation comes without Elliott first belittling his mother or his mother being represented in a negative light. This is a big change from other coming-of-age stories like Crazy Fridaywhich very specifically shows intense divisions between mothers and their daughters.

My old ass shows what coming of age stories should be like

Adulthood is often treated as the end

My old ass is truly a perfect example of what coming-of-age stories should beespecially for films about young women. In theory, coming-of-age stories are about the protagonists starting their lives, but these films tend to reinforce stereotypes about women’s value based on youth and beauty. My old ass counters this by not only having Elliott respect the older Elliott, but also having Elliott embrace even the most difficult things the future holds, including Chad’s fate.

We hope success My old ass will mean a change in approach to coming-of-age films like this. Especially casting a star like Aubrey Plaza in an older role suggests that these stories can present aging in a positive light and still be incredibly popular. If My old ass Whether it creates that change or not, this film is an exciting update to the more common representation of aging as something to be feared.

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