How Real Is Charli XCX Being In ‘The Moment’?

The answer, according to Charli and the team behind A24’s The Moment, is to start making the jokes yourself. The Moment is at its best when it doesn’t take itself seriously, when it leans into being a searing commentary on fame and stardom, and when it makes fun of Brat Summer, a concept that (aside from the music, which was very good) already feels like it was a fever dream/ recession indicator of a lost era, even though it was just about 20 months ago. Brat Summer existed in the “post-pandemic” rarified space of hopefulness America seemed to have before Trump was re-elected, when partying was back, and our feeds felt less dystopian. Lest we forget, a core tenet of the Brat era was that it was fun, and for the most part, The Moment is too. The film takes us back to 2024, right before Charli XCX is to tour the album, when the Brat phenomenon is on its last legs. The film is ruthless in its depiction of record execs, the business side of the music industry, and the commodification of artists — as it should be. As her image is being chopped, skewed, and sold for parts, Charli (a genuinely good actor) toggles between aloof disinterest and manic frustration. So how much of the real Charli XCX is in The Moment?