In the (somewhat) time travel comedy My old ass, Eighteen-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) stumbles upon a ton of mushrooms and comes face-to-face with herself, played by Aubrey Plaza. The older Elliott has some words of wisdom for her younger self: mostly vague advice on how to slow down and spend more time with her family. Younger!Elliott listens and finds these tips helpful.

But older! Elliott gives himself another specific warning: Don’t fall in love with Chad (Percy Hynes White), the cute boy who works on Elliott’s family farm during the summer.

Younger! Elliott ignoring this advice ends up becoming the film’s most compelling theme – and a common thread it shares with the cinematic masterpiece. Mama Mia! Here we go again. (Yes, for real.)

(Ed. note: This article contains ending spoilers for My old ass — And Mama Mia! Here we go again.)

At first, younger! Elliot is sure the thing with Chad won’t be a problem, considering she was previously only attracted to women. But after meeting Chad, she is seduced, which makes her question her own identity. Yet, older! Elliott insists: don’t fall in love with Chad! Younger! Elliott waits for the other shoe to drop, wondering if Chad is secretly an asshole or something. Finally, she confronts herself, who admits that Chad will die young and break her heart.

Right now, writer-director Megan Park delves deeper into its most interesting message. After hearing her oldest complain about how deeply Chad’s death affected her, she’s younger! Elliott responds with a “No”. She tells herself that being young and stupid is a good thing, because if she let the fear of the world change her life, she wouldn’t live at all. So she will accept heartbreak, because it gives her the opportunity to know and love someone deeply and with abandon.

Some time travel stories have older versions of characters trying to advise or interfere with their younger selves, to help them avoid a traumatic future. My old ass represents a variation of this idea: the oldest! Elliott learns something from the self-proclaimed “young and stupid” child version of herself. And that’s something we can take away, even without time travel – that’s where the Mom Mia of all this comes in.

In the grand scintillating finale of Mama Mia! Here we go againthe older and younger versions of the main characters all dance together at a big party. Here we go again isn’t a time travel movie at all, but it alternates between flashbacks and the present, depicting the story of how free spirit Donna Sheridan (Lily James) ended up with three babies potential dads during a memorable moment. summer. We see all the older characters when they were young and stupid – but also living with a certain admirable fearlessness.

My old ass And Mom Mia 2 end with the same message: your younger self is a part of you and always will be. Even though there are things you could have done differently in life and certain outcomes you would like to protect yourself from, there is also wisdom to be gleaned from this “young, stupid” self – especially since this younger me is the reason you are the way you are today.

My old ass makes the lesson more concrete and tangible, with Elliott saying it outright to his older self. Mama Mia! Here we go again weaves it subtly — even if part of that subtlety is a dance party that brings together the young and old versions of 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, aren’t we all dancing with our younger ones?

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