Finding psychedelic wisdom in My Old Ass
It's a new movie about mushrooms, moms, and Maisy Stella
Can a cute coming-of-age movie contain profound, timeless wisdom? In the case of My Old Ass, the answer is a resounding yes.
The movie, a sophomore effort by Canadian writer and director Megan Park, begins as a familiar coming-of-age tale. We meet three teenage friends spending their final summer together before heading off to university. One of them, Elliott (Maisy Stella), is cheerfully chasing her crush—a local coffee shop barista.
It’s deeper than it seems
For the first five minutes, this movie seems predictable. Just another coming-of-age. But cuter, cuz Canadian. The Muskoka setting feels fresh, and the main character practically jumps off the screen and into our hearts. Her self-assured body language! Her farm-boy-meets-forest-girl style. Her ability to drive a boat.
But then, the plot twist.
To celebrate Elliott’s 18th birthday in transcendent style, the girls head to a secluded island with a big bag of mushrooms. And as the funky tea they brew starts to kick in, we begin to realize: This isn’t just another Dirty Dancing. This is a meditation on love, growth, friendship, and the delicate balance between living in the present and reckoning with the past.
And also, psychedelics.
Here are seven psychedelic lessons we can learn by watching My Old Ass with our kids. (It’s on Amazon Prime.)
1. Set and setting matter
The plot of My Old Ass hinges on a psychedelic trip, and as any seasoned journeyer will tell you, "set and setting" make all the difference. The film provides a natural entry point for families to discuss the importance of mindset and environment in shaping psychedelic experiences.
Elliott and her friends prepare themselves well for their shared journey. They do some online research. (Okay, not a lot of research. But enough.) They go to a serene wooded island on a pristine lake. They carry creature comforts. They travel with trusted companions. They set up their tents before drinking their mushroom tea.
They create a safe space. So when Elliott’s older self (Aubrey Plaza) appears beside her at the fire, she’s set up for the transformative experience that follows.
The film’s attention to the details of the set and setting reinforces a deeper truth: The environment we’re in can magnify what’s happening inside of us when we use psychedelics. Thoughtful preparation and a beautiful, natural, and familiar place can create the safety needed for a satisfying psychedelic journey.
2. There are no bad trips, only challenging experiences
“Nothing bad happens when you’re on mushrooms,” Elliott says optimistically before the trip. But she soon learns that psychedelics aren’t all fun and fractals.
Her older self is sharp, jaded, and burdened with regrets. Meeting her older self forces Elliott to confront hard questions: Who am I becoming? Do my choices align with my values? How can I create the future I want?
My Old Ass doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulty of these revelations, showing that psychedelic journeys aren’t easy entertainment. They can be quite challenging. Elliott’s willingness to face the challenges head on offers a valuable lesson about learning from the discomfort that psychedelics sometimes offer.
3. Integration is where the real magic lies
The mushrooms may wear off, but Elliott is determined to apply the lessons her older self dropped during their time together. She begins making small, meaningful changes in her life.
She spends more time with her family, reconnects with her mom and brother, and starts showing up in ways she hadn’t before. These aren’t grand gestures—they’re quiet moments of connection, like sitting down beside her mom on the sofa instead of just breezing past.
Elliott’s experience makes the important point that if you’re going to use psychedelics, you should apply their profound messages in your daily life. If you don’t change the ways you think, act and relate to others, you’re missing out on the real magic.
4. Could we maybe be a little less narrow minded?
Before the journey, Elliott always thought she was gay. After the journey, she questions the label she’s always used to describe her sexual identity. “Am I bi? Am I pan? I don’t know, but I’m figuring it out,” she says at one point.
But it’s not just Elliott’s view of herself that starts to open up. She senses that other people are also more complex than the identities they project. This shift is highlighted in her changing relationship with her brother.
In a poignant moment on the golf course, Elliott admits she regrets the message she wrote in a pre-journey birthday card to her brother. She wrote: “I’d wish you a happy birthday, but cis white men don’t need any more happiness.” She acknowledges he has “good person vibes” though, and their relationship begins to grow into a source of fun, laughter and love.
My Old Ass gently reminds us that psychedelics can show us that we are more than the labels we give ourselves. They can open doors to a deeper understanding of other people, too. Psychedelics are trying to tell us that no one is just a set of identities like race, gender, age and ability.
We are so much more.
5. Connection is everything
At its heart, My Old Ass is about connection: To family, to friends, to the self you were, and the ancestors who came before.
At the start of the film, Elliott is distant from her family, preoccupied with her ambitions and a long-standing crush on the coffee shop barista. Yet, as the story unfolds, her older self’s advice encourages her to reevaluate. Is she investing in relationships that will truly sustain her?
This theme is explored through the romantic subplot with Chad, a summer worker on her family’s cranberry farm. Unlike Elliott’s superficial admiration for the barista, her growing connection with Chad feels grounded in reality. Their interactions reveal how intimacy is, for her, a precursor to emotional and sexual interest.
My Old Ass reminds us that connection is the invisible thread tying everything together. It can also be the intangible thing we take for granted in the rush to move forward into new experiences. The film’s psychedelic wisdom teaches us to slow down enough that we can cherish the fleeting moments of connection in our relationships.
6. Your ancestors are your foundation
At the start of the film, Elliott struggles with her desire to leave the farm and her guilt about abandoning her family’s legacy. Sitting around the fire with her friends, she captures this conflict perfectly: “I can’t be a third-generation cranberry farmer and, like, live in a town with 300 people. And I always feel bad every time I say that. But it’s like, I’ve got energy! I’ve got hype!”
By the end of the movie, Elliott finds a way to reconcile her opposing feelings. She learns that ambition doesn’t have to mean severing ties with her roots. She can still maintain a connection to the land and the family who built a legacy there, even as she heads off to university in Toronto.
Elliott’s changing relationship to the family farm speaks to a broader piece of psychedelic wisdom. These profound substances often encourage us to see the bigger picture of our lives, fostering a deeper understanding of how we’re shaped by those who came before. Even as we strive for growth and independence, we can learn to see our ancestors as a source of strength.
7. You know more than you think
Not all advice from Elliott’s older self lands as intended. Early on, 39-year-old Elliott warns her 18-year-old self to steer clear of Chad, insisting he’ll only bring regret. But younger Elliott, trusting her instincts, chooses to ignore the warning—and begins falling for him.
Younger Elliott’s defiance creates tension between her two selves. Older Elliott, frustrated by what she sees as a repeat of her own past mistakes, tries to steer younger Elliott back on track. But Elliott recognizes something her older self has lost sight of: Love, even when it’s temporary or imperfect, can still be meaningful. Chad may not be Elliott’s forever person, but the connection they share is still worth experiencing.
Younger Elliott’s evolution illustrates a key piece of psychedelic wisdom. The film suggests that the insights gained from psychedelics can teach us to question authority—even the authority of well-meaning adults.
The best choices come from trusting our deepest inner knowing. Outcomes be outcomes, but trusting your inner knowing is E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
It’s a coming-of-all-ages movie
My Old Ass isn’t just a coming-of-age film; it’s a heartfelt exploration of time, regret, and the moments that shape us. Whatever stage of life you’re in, the movie contains nuggets of wisdom that can show you how to move into your next era.
Lead actor Maisy Stella lights up the screen with charm and chutzpah. Far from the cliché of a naive ingénue one might expect in a coming-of-age movie, Stella’s Elliott is perceptive, bold, and refreshingly complex. She grounds the film in authenticity, making it a story that bridges generations and speaks to teens, parents, and everyone in between.
And by the way, YOUNG WOMEN ARE NOT CUTE. Well, they are, but can we please stop dismissing them? Can we please stop treating women under 30 like they’re too young to know anything?
At its core, the film dares to ask: If you found yourself on a secluded island with two best friends and a big bag of magic mushrooms, would you go on the journey?
So. Would you?
A psychedelic primer for families
If you recently took my advice and watched My Old Ass with your kids, you might find yourself fielding some questions about psychedelics. The film’s heartfelt exploration of love, growth, and connection…
Found you! And thank you for this very thoughtful film recommendation, Daphne.
A good friend of mine loves to use mushrooms and asks me occasionally if I would do them with her. I am still on the fence but this post from you (and your reflections on this movie) have me thinking more about it. I will have to check this movie out. Thank you!