‘My Old Ass’ with Ray Gill Jr.

Episode 26

Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza in My Old Ass, one of the best movies of 2024

Today’s episode proved the point of this whole “2024 Passion Projects” exercise. Ray Gill Jr. (Portland Mercury, Willamette Week) nominated a movie I was maybe going get to? And it ended up a favorite of the year.

In “My Old Ass,” Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza play the same character at different ages, connected in time by a mushroom trip. Ray and I dig into how director Megan Park plays with our allegiances, champions youth, and turns a possibly sappy premise into a deeply affecting call for self-reflection.

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About “The Kick”

“The Kick” is a theme-obsessed movie podcast where new releases are the ultimate excuse to fill blindspots and let that completist flag fly.

Part of the Now Playing Network, the show runs in multi-episode arcs—or kicks—that explore a particular sub-genre or filmography, and then culminate in a relevant new film. As in, “I’m on a sports-romance kick, and it won’t be over until I see Challengers.

Every week, host Chance Solem-Pfeifer is joined by a fellow writer, filmmaker, or movie appreciator. You can contact him at chancesolempfeifer [at] gmail [dot] com and read his film writings in the Willamette Week.