‘The Moment’ review: Breaking Brat

In the quasi-mockumentary The Moment, everybody wants Charli XCX and Charli XCX wants everybody to leave her alone.

“You’re not gonna die at the end of an album cycle.”

*pause*

“I might!”

Charli XCX hates being famous. You wouldn’t think that’d be the case considering she’s been a stylish pop star for nearly 15 years and been trying to have a mega hit album for more than five. She got her wish in 2024 when her sixth album, Brat, became a critical darling (Metacritic’s highest-rated album that year), chart-topping smash (#1 in the U.S. and her native U.K.), viral sensation, and cultural juggernaut. The girl who played at raves before she had a driver’s license turned herself (and a very specific shade of green) into a global phenomenon. And now, she hates it.

But what specifically does she hate about being the new “it” girl in music? Is it old dudes on podcasts trying to stay hip with the kids without knowing much about her? Maybe it’s record executives that are finally seeing her star power and compensating by throwing her into as many brand deals as possible? Or is it just all the people late to her party; The normies who only heard of her through TikTok, or their kids, or their gay best friend without ever really understanding what she’s about outside of the “Apple” dance? Everybody knows Charli, but do they really KNOW Charli? Or more importantly to her, do they care? When the party’s over, will they all come back?

The Moment, a pseudo-mockumentary that is “based on an idea” from Charli, asks a more sinister question: When the party’s over, how do we get them to come back? Charli’s record label (led by Rosanna Arquette) wants Brat Summer to last forever. The solution? A concert film letting everyone enjoy Charli’s 365 party girl lifestyle from their comfort of their homes. Speaking of which, the superstar (playing a version of herself) is getting tired of being the most in-demand it girl in the world. One minute she’s trying to smile through Stephen Colbert’s awkward dad schtick, the next she’s trying to process how a bank is creating a Brat-themed credit card to attract young queer people (“So like, your fans”). She’s got a clueless publicist (Jamie Demetriou), an overworked creative director (Hailey Gates), and now the concert film director (Alexander Skarsgård) trying very “politely” to merge his family-friendly vision with Charli’s cocaine-fueled aesthetic. On top of all that stress, Charli’s feeling stuck between staying true to her creative spirt by ending the Brat era or sanitizing her image to reach more fans than she ever has. Does she want to be cool, or does she want to be famous?

Bittersweet symphony.

If The Moment does anything, it makes you appreciate how Charli played the pop game so well and still kept most of her soul. In the modern era of easily-offended grown-ups and grossly-cynical youths, it’s a miracle that an album that covers insecurity, parental pride, ego, and yes, cocaine, became such a hit. And with every corporation and their teenage daughter wanting a piece of her, Charli was a proud party girl in the public eye and a ferociously dominant presence on the stage. If you took your kids to the Sweat or Brat tour and were appalled that their new favorite singer is a sneering diva grinding onstage in the rain, that’s just Charli. You don’t even go here.

But again, The Moment is not a victory lap. It’s a funhouse mirror showing what would’ve happened if Charli did buckle under the pressure of her label and give in to her insecurities of wanting to be liked by everyone. Though the film has screenwriters, including director Aidan Zamiri (who directed the music video for “360”), there are many moments where the real Charli’s inner doubts and outer exhaustion pour out of the screen. She’s not afraid to show how frazzled she was when the Brat era reached its apex and the fear of what would happen to her when it all ended. Even though there are moments where likely-fictionalized moments look like scenes from a horror movie, it’s not hard to imagine Charli feeling like her world was crumbling around her, even while she was drinking Aperol Spritz in Ibiza. Sure, it’s a cliche to see the musical underdog get seduced by fame, abandon her friends, and sell out to keep the good times rolling. But Charli (or at least this version of her) doesn’t get the movie happy ending. She and Zamiri pull no punches about how most music success stories end nowadays. All of your dreams can come true, and then they’re owned by Amazon or Uber Eats.

That girl.

That’s the other thing about The Moment; it’s very mean. There may be one person Charli hates more than any leering record executive or smiling corporate flunky, and it’s Taylor Swift. Not her as a person (as far as we know), but her as the gold standard of modern pop stardom. Charli actually opened for Swift during her Reputation tour in 2018 and something about Swift’s inoffensive, cloying, eager-to-please stage presentation must’ve radicalized her. When she starts letting the concert film director take the reins, it’s clear he’s going for a softer (Swiftier?) aesthetic. He wants her to step out of a bedazzled lighter to perform in front of soft candy colors instead of harsh nightclub strobes. He thinks she’ll bring the house down by delivering an emotional ballad looking like the Green Fairy from Moulin Rogue! hovering 15 feet in the air. And she HAS to have an inspiring, hopeful, pre-written speech in the middle of the show about how Brat is for everyone and that it’ll live on forever. The fans will love it with their light-up bracelets that’ll make the show look as tacky…sorry, FUN, as a house with way too many Christmas decorations on it. There’s probably a deleted scene where someone suggests Brat-themed friendship bracelets.

The Moment is also very funny at points. Skarsgård is fantastic as the reformed (but not really) alpha male creative wanting everyone to get along…under his vision. His tattered cardigan sweater and bead necklace perfectly complement his carefully-worded attempts to take control and craft inspirational art for corporate sponsors and trad moms. There are plenty of other comedic aces in the deck, from Demetriou’s constantly flustered middle management to brief bits of cattiness from Kate Berlant and Rachel Sennott. As for Charli herself, she’s no Streisand but does fine being ping-ponged between all the stress and madness thrown her way. She’s basically the straight man in her own comedic misadventure while using bits of dry British wit and her always-aggravated face for extra laughs. And again, she has the first-hand experience to project the fear and sadness that pop stars face when they start questioning their relevance.

Are you filming this?

Oddly enough, the biggest flaw of The Moment is its own presentation. Documentaries on pop stars are notable for showing the ultra-famous letting their guard down to show the public they can be as shy or annoyed as they are. Mockumentaries on pop stars are beloved for using the “realness” of documentary-style filmmaking to lampoon cliches of the rich and famous. Unfortunately, The Moment squanders both opportunities by not going all the way on realness and being far too stylized for something meant to be stripped-down. The handheld camerawork of the documentary/mockumentary style feels completely unnecessary and even ruins the potential for making more memorable imagery. If this was shot like a hyper-stylized drama or thriller, it would make the still moments in Charli’s journey resonate more and give the comedic beats more opportunity to hit harder. But every time someone breaks the fourth wall or looks is shocked to see the camera crew behind Charli, it takes you right out of the movie and makes you wonder why this is even the facade of a documentary in the first place.

Though this may be Charli’s story, or a different telling of it, it’s not an original story. The glossy presentation and the bustling personalities of the actors do a lot to primp-up this typical rise-and-fall story seen in everything from A Star is Born to Josie and the Pussycats. Even Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping had to have an off-screen giant bug fight to keep its story fresh. That’s not taking anything away from Charli’s journey. If anything, it might’ve helped to have a little more context of where Charli was before getting to the top. Maybe showing her creative process when crafting Brat or her past records or how she connected with the crowds at raves and festivals over the years would’ve colored in the lines better. It’s what makes this pale in comparison to Charli XCX: Alone Together, the 2021 documentary about how she made and maintained a party record (how i’m feeling now) while on lockdown during the COVID pandemic. Seeing her put all of her creativity to work with just the resources at home and on her phone felt like a huge victory. The Moment is just that: one singular motion.

The bottom line.

So is this the end of Brat? Charli certainly hopes so. And if everyone keeps asking her to make it go on forever, she’s happy to lay it to rest with The Moment. It may not be the most riveting cinematic experiment with a pop star, but it does show that Charli is smarter than the average mean girl. It also helps her draw the line on what she truly cares about and what is utterly pointless in the world of pop music. All the fans and naysayers of Brat Summer will come away with one solid message for each group. For the fans, it was fun while it lasted. For the naysayers, at least it’s over.

The Moment is now playing in theaters everywhere. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of A24. Read more articles by Jon Winkler here.