How Charli XCX’s New Film The Moment Lives Up to Its Name

By Kyla Lemieux

In 2024, Charli XCX went from being a somewhat niche electro-pop artist to just about taking over the world. The release of her sixth studio album, Brat, became the initiating event for what is now ubiquitously known as “Brat Summer,” and the album’s signature “Brat green” has been practically inescapable ever since. Of course, the album was supported with not one, but two massive arena tours: first came the Brat Tour, which marked Charli’s first time headlining arenas globally. The second of the two tours, entitled the Sweat Tour, was a joint run of concerts where Charli co-headlined with Australian singer-songwriter Troy Sivan, who has a feature on the acclaimed Brat remix album, Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat. Now, almost two years after the release of the monumental, Grammy-winning album, Charli XCX has made it clear that Brat has no intentions of leaving the spotlight anytime soon. The release of her Spinal-Tap-inspired tour mockumentary The Moment marks anything but the end of “Brat Summer,” and shows fans that Charli is not just a musician, but also an actress, screenwriter and comedian.

As a relatively new Charli XCX fan, the release of The Moment seemed like my chance to finally attend the “Brat Tour,” but the movie is far from just another concert film. I quickly purchased tickets to see the film in a local theater on opening weekend, knowing that whatever Charli had in store for us would be unlike anything the entertainment industry had seen before. But I never would have expected the absolutely hilarious way that Charli intentionally made a mockery of the public perception of both herself and the Brat album.

Since the film’s release, it has been revealed that many actresses tried out for the role of Charli XCX, but the star had nobody in mind for the character but herself. Upon seeing the movie, I completely understood why this choice was made, as I cannot think of anyone else who could accurately embody the many emotions experienced by fans and critics alike during the Brat era. While the majority of music enthusiasts were happy to see the album’s popularity soar far past its summer of celebration, many others were sure that it had long ago run its course, and Charli’s character (which fellow star Rachel Sennott considers to be “a heightened projection version of what maybe some people think, but not the real [Charli]”) pokes fun at that idea, in the film even calling “Brat Summer’s” overextension “kinda cringe.” Throughout the movie, Charli expresses feelings of both desire and dread towards the impending end of the album cycle, stating “I might” when told by the character of her creative director that she won’t die when the era is finished.

The main focal point of the film is the debate between Charli’s character and the characters of those on her team about what the mood of her tour documentary should be. While her creative director, Celeste, believes that the fictional film should match the overall vibe of the Brat album, others on her team express their preference to cater to the ideas of the somewhat offputting character of Johannes Godwin, a well-known director whose vision is quite the opposite of Charli’s unique vision. Charli goes back and forth throughout the film, initially calling Johannes “creepy,” but ultimately going along with his very un-Brat perception of what the tour film should be. The film consists of many comical scenes in which Johannes gives examples of these ideas, including one in which he convinces Charli to fly above the stage in a harness while singing what is possibly the most vulnerable song on Brat. This was far from the only scene that caused the entire theater to erupt into laughter, once again proving Charli’s comedical talent.

Of course, Charli could not create a movie without a star-studded cast. The aforementioned actress and longtime friend of Charli, Rachel Sennott, made a short, but sweet appearance in one of the film’s party scenes, mentioning her cameo in Charli’s “360” music video and playing a character somewhat similar to the one she played in her own TV show, I Love L.A.. Later in the film, an appearance was made by businesswoman and reality TV star Kylie Jenner. While playing herself in the film, Jenner has a chance run-in with Charli, which creates an awkward interaction in a hotel hallway, creating the type of comedic tension that the movie perfectly captures in a multitude of scenes.

One of my personal favorite scenes in the film is the one in which Charli engages in a meet-and-greet with some of her fans, which seems like a sad, but true representation of the way the music industry has been monetized, especially in recent years. The scene shows a group of fans waiting excitedly to talk to Charli, but the people managing the event have something else in mind. As one fan tells the star how much her music means to him, a staff member on the sidelines tells him to hold up the product that the event is meant to be advertising before quickly ushering him away from Charli. While the scene itself is made humorous, the subject matter is somewhat relatable, showing a perfect example of how many of those who work in the entertainment industry believe that finances are more important than fan-artist interactions. The film holds many more similar instances of problems that performers face, although Charli made sure to sugarcoat them in humor as to ensure that the movie did not become a completely serious reflection of certain realities.

Although the film has been described as “messy” by a couple of news sources (and fans of a certain other popstar may take offense to the very intentional dig at the end of the movie), I personally didn’t find myself bored or unamused for even a second of the 1 hour and 43 minutes I spent watching The Moment. I feel as though the format of a simple concert film has become a little too repetitive in the last few years, and I applaud Charli for finding her own way of documenting the global phenomenon of “Brat Summer.”

While Charli has stated that she doesn’t see the film as the official end of the Brat era, she’s not wasting a second before moving on to her next work of art. Her upcoming album, Wuthering Heights, releases on February 13, alongside the highly anticipated film of the same name. Additionally, Charli has been present at just about every event across the entertainment industry the past few weeks, presenting an award at the 2026 Grammy Awards and even starring in a Superbowl commercial with Rachel Sennott.

No matter what Charli’s next project consists of, she has made it quite clear that she’s not going anywhere anytime soon, and her constantly growing fanbase seems to be the type that will follow her loyally from one project to the next. Whether you’ve been following her career since the first album, joined the club during the Brat era like me, or are just starting to gain interest now, one thing is known by every one of her fans: Charli XCX is an absolute superstar. An artist. A performer. A writer. She is The Moment.