Nobody Thought The Moment Through

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Charli XCX’s unique pop style—a fun mix of genuine emotion and playful imitation—makes a fake documentary about her life a perfect fit. The film opens with a fast-paced collection of news clips detailing the huge success of her 2024 album, Brat, and the resulting media frenzy of “Brat Summer.” Because Charli already lives under such intense public scrutiny, the film only needs to slightly exaggerate reality to become a full-blown parody.

While it seems simple on the surface, the documentary The Moment, directed by Aidan Zamiri, doesn’t quite deliver. It feels like an unsure mix of a genuine concert film and a mockumentary in the style of This Is Spinal Tap. It holds back from fully committing to either approach, ultimately feeling more like a carefully crafted image campaign. The film follows Charli as she gets ready for her tour, navigating sponsorships, media requests, and even wardrobe choices. When the movie focuses on this hectic world – the buzz around Brat Summer, for example – it’s engaging, and Zamiri effectively captures the energy and confusion. It’s often difficult to discern what’s authentic and what’s been staged for comedic effect.

Early in the film, a sense of conflict starts to emerge. Charli’s record label wants to prolong the success of “Brat Summer,” hoping it can last for a year or more, and they’ve partnered with Amazon to create a concert documentary. The director, Johannes Godwin (played by Alexander Skarsgård), is a well-known filmmaker who comes across as overly concerned with appearing artistic, even though he’s pushing a safe, commercially-minded version of Charli’s style. This leads to tension with Charli’s long-time creative director, Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates), and Charli’s overwhelmed assistants struggle to manage the situation.

The main issue with the film The Moment is its reluctance to truly explore its central figure. Charli XCX plays a version of herself, but the portrayal lacks cinematic depth. We already know she’s overwhelmed by fame and the surrounding chaos – a documentary could have shown us that just as easily. The movie focuses heavily on caricatures – from an irritating assistant to a weak manager, a ruthless record executive, an overly enthusiastic makeup artist, and even a deeply troubled fan. This creates the impression that being Charli XCX is difficult simply because everyone around her is eccentric or foolish. While that might be accurate, it’s probably not the point the film was trying to make.

It’s possible to pull off a show like this, as Larry David proved with 25 years of Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO, where he played a character who was both sensible and hilariously clueless. However, it requires honesty and the ability to laugh at yourself. This film has a few good moments, especially when other celebrities appear as themselves. One scene where Charli awkwardly encounters Kylie Jenner leads to some bad choices, and briefly feels promising – but it’s just a fleeting glimpse of depth. A later speech from Charli about wanting to be cool and accepted doesn’t help, though. Instead, it unexpectedly turns what could have been a satire into a overly dramatic and self-pitying mess.

Charli XCX is known for carefully managing how people see her, so the documentary The Moment feels underdeveloped, like the filmmakers didn’t fully plan it out. They clearly wanted to make a film about Charli, but not a typical musician documentary. They aimed for something playful, which fits her personality. However, a satire in the style of Christopher Guest relies on everyone appearing a little absurd, not just a few eccentric characters. And a good behind-the-scenes music documentary should feel like an honest look at the artist. The Moment tries to combine these two approaches, but ultimately doesn’t succeed at either.

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2026-01-25 17:54