Coming-of-age films have always been a hallmark of filmmaking, from the beloved movies of John Hughes to the modern classics like Lady Bird and The Edge of Seventeen. Writer-director Megan Park’s sophomore feature My Old Ass brings a new twist to the genre. Instead of being a period piece, complete with nostalgic needle drops and the filmmaker’s own upbringing, Park sets her film squarely in the present day with her heroine interacting with her future self.

The marketing for the Sundance darling has unsurprisingly focused largely on Aubrey Plaza. However, the size of Plaza’s role may surprise some. My Old Ass isn’t some time-traveling romp. Rather, it feels like a deeply personal, often hilarious, and surprisingly emotionally impactful dramedy.

Elliott (Maisy Stella) has just turned 18 and in just a few weeks, she will be leaving her family’s cranberry farm and going to college in Toronto. She’s a bit of a rebel, from constantly annoying her two younger brothers (Seth Isaac Johnson, Carter Trozzolo), ditching her own birthday party to hook up with her longtime crush (Alexandra Rivera), and experimenting with drugs.

On a birthday campout with her two best friends (Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks), Elliott gets high off shrooms and suddenly receives a visit from her 39-year-old self (Plaza). While the two Elliotts quickly bond with one another, the younger version is disappointed to learn that even 21 years into the future, she’s still in school and she’s still single. The future Elliott leaves with a vital piece of advice: stay away from any boy named Chad.

The next day, Elliott wakes up thinking that this visit was some random drug trip, but is shocked when she realizes that her future self left her contact on her phone, under the name “My Old Ass.” To make matters even more complicated, she has a meet-cute with a boy named Chad (Percy Hynes White). This comes as a shock to Elliott, who has always believed that she was only attracted to women.

The first 10 minutes or so of the film do take a little bit to get going. Stella plays Elliott as a true blue Gen-Z teen, complete with her constant referencing pop culture or having an immature view of her family. However, My Old Ass is a movie about growth. Elliott still rightfully holds on to many of her beliefs, but she also changes as a person and begins to have a clearer outlook on her life. It’s one of the most accurate representations of being a teen in modern times since The Edge of Seventeen.

While the title alone might suggest that the humor in My Old Ass is sophomoric, that’s not the case. Park’s screenplay is mature and nuanced and carries a ton of heart. While some viewers might not initially find themselves sympathizing with Elliott, they’ll inevitably soon find it hard not to root for her and feel for her.

Stella gives a true breakout performance as Elliott. She perfectly captures both her character’s angst and insecurities, as well as her confidence and charisma. Elliott never feels like just another teenage character written by an adult, and paired with Park’s writing, Stella makes her feel incredibly real, complex, and relatable. The chemistry she shares with all her co-stars is genuine and the connection she has with them feels raw. There are plenty of talented and young up-and-coming performances and with just this one performance, Stella has cemented herself near the top of the list as one to look out for.

While Plaza’s supporting role is smaller than you’d expect, she still is given more than enough to leave with a strong impression. What starts out as Plaza playing the older Elliott as what you’d expect from her snarky persona, morphs into one of the greatest performances of her career. Despite serving as a mentor, My Old Ass isn’t afraid to show the older Elliott’s vulnerabilities, and Plaza excels at making her character feel grounded while also cracking some jokes along the way.

Park has delivered a true winner with My Old Ass, which is a film that is clearly going to mean a lot to college-bound teens across North America. It has a true understanding of youth and the uncertainties of life and encourages us to enjoy it while we still can.

My Old Ass is in theaters now.

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• Despite being distributed by Amazon, My Old Ass is still a fairly small movie, so it doesn’t seem to likely to pick up any potential nominations at the Academy Awards.
• In a just world, My Old Ass would be in the running for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. But as the slate of awards contenders continues to grow, that doesn’t seem likely.