Rating 6/10
Prior to this movie, I could not have picked Charli XCX out of a lineup of six. However, I’m tangentially familiar with a few of the British singer’s songs. She co-wrote and contributed vocals to “I Love It” by Swedish duo Icona Pop. It was a massive hit in the U.S. in the summer of 2013, as was “Boom Clap” the following year. More recently, the neon-green, electronic dance-pop album Brat became a cultural phenomenon in the summer of 2024. Although I’ll concede it largely bypassed me, as it existed more online than in the physical world.
This faux documentary follows Charli XCX as she prepares for an arena tour. She’s feeling increasingly trapped by the relentless demands of fame. The label wants to extend the Brat album cycle through awkward brand deals, including a credit card partnership. She’s not on board with the idea. Charli also clashes with self-serious auteur Johannes Godwin (Alexander Skarsgård), who is hired to document the string of shows. His glossy, sanitized vision is at odds with the edgy spectacle she and creative director Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates) have conceived. His artistic takeover becomes the film’s central battleground.
Along the way, the recording artist faces pressure from label executive Tammy Pitman (Rosanna Arquette), navigates mounting chaos with assistant Molly (Kate Berlant), spars with anxious manager Tim (Jamie Demetriou), and leans on trusted collaborator Lloyd (Isaac Powell).
It’s an odd film that sends up a fictionalized version of the singer’s constantly irritated persona. Charli is ambivalent about success and exhausted by the tension between Celeste and Johannes. As a result, the overwhelmed performer disappears at the most critical stage of assembling the stage show and jets off to Ibiza for a vacation. There, the getaway leads to a run-in with Kylie Jenner, who provides a newfound sense of clarity. That sudden epiphany inspires a renewed commitment to the direction of the concert tour.
The production is too hyper-edited and manic to be boring. The Moment is the directorial debut of Aidan Zamiri. I was transfixed by the presentation. The film does not chase comedy the way a mockumentary like This Is Spinal Tap does, but amusing moments do arise. Charli is thrown into a Sprinter van to keep the singer safe from a mob of fans. Left alone with the driver, he tries to connect by pulling up information about the pop star on the internet. The funniest bit is the so-called world-renowned facialist, Maria (Arielle Dombasle), with whom Charli has an appointment at a spa in Ibiza.
However, the narrative developments are questionable. At one point, Charli impulsively promotes the “Brat” credit card on social media. It has confusing repercussions for the fictional Howard Stirling bank. The story falls apart after that. What had been a sharp industry send-up becomes a PR meltdown. When Charli records a lengthy voice memo apologizing to Celeste, it lands like a superficial way to hastily wrap things up. It’s an unfulfilling end to a picture that initially had sharper claws and a lot more promise.
02-10-26