The ending of My Old Ass fits Mamma Mia perfectly! here we go again

In the (sort of) time travel comedy My old ass, 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) stumbles upon a lot of mushrooms and ends up confronting her older self, played by Aubrey Plaza. The elder Elliott has some words of wisdom for her younger self: mostly vague advice on how to slow down and enjoy more time with her family. Disciples!Elliott listens and finds this guide useful.

But older!Elliott warns himself again: Don’t fall in love with Chad (Percy Hynes White), the sweet boy who works on Elliott’s family farm for the summer.

Younger! Elliott’s disregard for this advice ultimately becomes the film’s most compelling theme – and a common thread it shares with the cinematic masterpiece Mama Mia! here we go again. (Yes, really.)

[Ed. note: This post contains ending spoilers for My Old Ass — and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.]

Younger first!Elliot is sure the Chad thing won’t be a problem considering she’s only ever been attracted to women. But after meeting Chad, she finds herself in love, which makes her question her own identity. Still older!Elliott insists on not falling in love with Chad! Younger!Elliott waits for the other shoe to drop, wondering if Chad is secretly an asshole or something. She eventually confronts her older self, who confesses that Chad will die young and break their hearts.

In this moment, writer-director Megan Park delves into her most interesting message. After hearing her older self rant about how deeply Chad’s death has affected her, the younger Elliott responds with a “no.” She tells her older self that it’s good to be young and stupid because if she allowed the fear of the world to change her life, she wouldn’t be alive at all. Therefore, she will endure the grief because it brings with it the opportunity to know and love someone deeply and with devotion.

In some time travel stories, older versions of characters attempt to counsel or interfere with their younger selves in order to avoid a traumatizing future. My old ass represents a twist on this idea: the older! Elliott learns something from the self-proclaimed “young, stupid” child version of herself. And that’s something we can take away, even without the time travel – where that lies Mama Mia of everything comes in.

In the big, glittering finale of Mama Mia! here we go againolder and younger versions of the main characters all dance together in a big celebration. here we go again isn’t a time travel film at all, but it swings between flashbacks and the present, telling the story of how free-spirited Donna Sheridan (Lily James) gets three potential baby daddies over the course of a memorable summer. We see all the older characters back when they were young and stupid – but also lived with a certain admirable fearlessness.

My old ass And Mamma Mia 2 end with the same message: your younger self is a part of you and always will be. While there are things you might have done differently in life and certain consequences you want to protect yourself from, there is also wisdom you can learn from that “young and foolish” self – especially because this young self the reason for this is that you are the way you are today.

My old ass makes the lesson more concrete and tangible as Elliott says it directly to her older self. Mama Mia! here we go again weaves it in subtly – even if part of that subtlety is a dance party that brings together young and old people. This ending is a celebration of the past and present, without any explanation as to how it happens. But that’s okay, because in a way, don’t we all dance with our younger selves?

My old ass is streaming on Prime Video. Mama Mia! here we go again is streaming on Peacock.