O, Canada

 

MY OLD ASS (A-minus) - There's something refreshing about taking a break from the culture of the U.S.A. Even a skip across the border can provide a welcome respite from the assault of the American way.

The sophomore directing effort from Megan Park ("The Fallout") is a bittersweet feel-good story about an 18-year-old who, during a hallucinogenic trip, meets her 39-year-old self and then keeps in touch, besieged by the older self's warnings about how life will turn out. Maisy Stella carries it all on her shoulders as young Elliott, the alpha female in a trio of friends, whom she is leaving (as well as her family) to go off to college in Toronto. Whereas 18-year-old Elliott is full of life and hope, her older version comes in the form of a dour, cynical woman played by Aubrey Plaza, lending gravitas to the proceedings.

 

Park's script is sharp, tackling philosophical subjects but with an often light touch. She doesn't overthink the simple sci-fi trick -- old Elliott puts her number in young Elliott's phone, and it somehow works -- passing it off with a shrug and a few self-deprecating lines. Old Elliott tells her young self to appreciate her family more, and the 18-year-old's attempt to bond with her mom and brothers is amusing. Old Elliott's biggest warning: Don't go near any guy named Chad. But, of course, who shows up as a worker on the family cranberry farm? A gawky, charming young man named Chad (Percy Hynes White), who is hard to resist. 

Stella creates a complex character, an emerging woman who is confident but sometimes confused, with an engaging sense of humor that shows hints of the cynicism to come. Plaza mostly appears only vocally, by phone, and her Elliott has a passive-aggressive way of hinting at tidbits of dystopia 21 years into the future. (Apparently the salmon have disappeared. What else is she not telling us?) Plaza brings her standard sly comic style as she essentially bookends the film with her appearances. Her best advice to her younger self? "Wear your retainer."

White tips it all in as goofy Chad, and even Elliott's friends -- Kerrice Brooks and Maddie Ziegler -- bring depth to their sidekick roles. And Park has a smooth twist ready for the final reel. Like many plot devices she uses, the key reveal could have been dragged down by shmaltz, but she manages to make a movie that is endearing but never sappy. It has heart and a spine, and an old-fashioned sincerity that is refreshing. It avoids the cynicism that old Elliott has fallen victim to. You go, young Elliott.