THE MOMENT

The Moment features a truly powerful performance from Charli XCX that proves she is a true triple threat, and despite strong supporting turns from Alexander Skarsgård and Jamie Demetriou, the screenplay sadly never finds the right mixture of chaos and comedy to let this mockumentary concept truly succeed.

The end of the brat era is dawning. Charli XCX’s latest album, Brat, released in the summer of 2024, quickly becoming a worldwide hit, inspiring what many referred to as a “Brat Summer”, and giving new meaning to the word brat: “a confident, messy, unapologetic, and hedonistic persona that embraces flaws, parties hard, and lives authentically.” But almost two years later, Charli XCX is ready to move past her smash hit album that inspired her brat era and make her mark on the world as an actress. In an original idea developed by herself, and directed by her friend Aidan Zamiri in his feature film debut, The Moment is a mockumentary film following a fictionalized version of Charli XCX in preparation for an upcoming world tour for her Brat album. While there is no denying the star-powered performance of Charli XCX who proves herself a talented actress, the story never fully comes together as it is never funny enough, chaotic enough or engaging enough to make for a memorable film.

Regardless of what you think of the story, it is undeniable that Charli XCX is excellent in The Moment playing a fictionalized version of herself. Preparing to embark on her Brat world tour without any break from the crazy Brat Summer promotion, Charli XCX commands your attention and is the beating heart of the entire film with a magnetic presence, delivering some truly hilarious moments as she encounters roadblocks on the development of the tour. It comes as no surprise that Charli XCX has the ability to captivate audiences in an entertaining way, given her experience as a performer, but she finds something deeper that not all musicians turned actors are able to develop. As it gets closer and closer to the tour and the pressure increases, Charli XCX develops a vulnerability that lets audiences into her inner psyche, feeling the exhaustion and frustration of her character without having to utter a single word. It’s a remarkable performance, one that unequivocally proves she has the talent as an actress and promises a bright future ahead with the right directors and scripts.

The entire film is a showcase for Charli XCX, but there are some great supporting performances that help elevate the entire project. Alexander Skarsgård unleashes his kooky side as Johannes Godwin, the director of Charli XCX’s concert film, bringing a mischievous energy to the film as he clashes with Charli and her team to gain creative control of the concert to ensure that his film is a success. Audiences are so used to Skarsgård in more serious roles, but he lets his comedic side fly in this film, is clearly having a blast and that imprints on the audiences, and is the biggest scene stealer of the entire cast. Hailey Gates is great as Charli XCX’s friend and creative designer Celeste Moreau Collins, bringing a cool and collected disposition to the film as she battles Johannes’s attempts to gain creative control, and sharing some touching moments with Charli XCX herself. Bringing a warmth and intellect to the entire film is Jamie Demetriou as Tim, counteracting the orchestrated chaos of the tour rehearsal and trying to keep Charli XCX’s career from falling off the rails despite the brewing storm around the tour. The rest of the cast is not short of talent, but sadly the screenplay does not offer up much for the rest of the cast to do, leaving their performances as rather one note as they are just pawns in the larger chaos of the tour and sadly squandering the talents of Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Sennott, Kate Berlant, Rish Shah and many more.

Being a mockumentary about Charli XCX embarking on her Brat album world tour, there are lots of different ideas at play in the screenplay. From record executives and their views on the tour, shooting of a concert film and the clashes between the creative director of the concert and the director of the film, brand partnerships, and her relationships with everyone on her team, there is a lot at play in the film. During the first half, the preliminary events on each storyline create some humorous moments that begin to develop the impending chaos that Charli XCX will be facing during her tour rehearsal as every stakeholder in it jockeys for their best interest… even if it is against her artistic vision for the tour. But as the film enters its second act, the story loses its footing. The jokes begin not landing more often than not, leaving moments that were meant to be funny feeling forced; and the idea of this film being about the end of the Brat Era begins to dissipate. For a story built around impending chaos, it never gets wild enough to justify Charli XCX letting the stakeholders in her tour destroy her artistic vision and end the Brat Era on their terms, as the screenplay has her checking out and freely letting go of her power in the situation without much drama. It wants to be a mix of This is Spinal Tap and a Safdie film, but Zamiri is not able to muster the requisite energy to keep The Moment on its crazy train from start to finish, even with a short runtime, relegating this film as an experimental music film that never fully comes together.

While brat will live on in the hearts of fans of Charli XCX, Charli XCX herself is closing that era of her career and moving forward with new endeavours. Using The Moment to both close her brat era and take her acting to the next stage of her career as she leads her very first film, she proves herself a talented actress who has a bright future on the big screen, even if the writing of the film cannot match what she is bringing to the production. Though sadly too many of the jokes don’t stick their landing as the film begins to lose its energy and focus as it moves into its second half, with Charli XCX’s magnetic presence and great performance at the centre of the film, The Moment is entertaining enough to sustain its runtime even if this film is probably only going to satisfy Charli XCX fans.