What happens when your album becomes more than a collection of songs? Inspired by rave culture, \u201cBrat,\u201d the 2024 Grammy-winning studio album by singer-songwriter Charli XCX, became a cultural phenomenon thanks to the \u201cBrat Summer\u201d movement, embraced by Gen Z, a celebration of hedonism, fashion, and sleaze. The record label wanted to keep the movement going (ka-ching), with perhaps a concert film. Charli XCX, instead, gave them a satire about the whole ridiculous mess, called \u201cThe Moment.\u201d It\u2019s flashy, trashy, and unabashedly\u2026 funny (or honest). Think \u201cSpinal Tap\u201d on meth.<\/p>\n
A satirical take on the music industry writes itself. Here, Charli XCX is playing a fictionalized version of herself (how fictionalized only she knows), as she prepares for the 2024 Brat Arena Tour. There are meetings with Atlantic Records label exec Tammy Pitman (Rosanna Arquette), who listens to a bunch of talking heads, each claiming to have Charli\u2019s best interests in mind. Pitman greenlights a concert film produced by Amazon Music documenting the Brat tour.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a great scene where Jamie (Rish Shah), a member of Charli\u2019s entourage, asks her to record radio IDs on a cell phone. \u2018Hi, it\u2019s Charli XCX. Are you having a Brat Summer?\u201d she asks before sighing, finding the whole thing a bit cringe.<\/p>\n
To keep the \u201cBrat Summer\u201d trend alive, the record label introduces a Brat credit card targeted specifically at Charli\u2019s queer fans. The green card, a partnership with the struggling bank Howard Stirling, provides fans with a free concert ticket. Sure, it\u2019s capitalism at its best, but it also raises the question, \u201cIs this a sell-out move?\u201d An Instagram post derails the promotion, serving as a clear example of an artist trying to stay true to their integrity while satisfying corporate interests.<\/p>\n
Directed by Aidan Zamiri, who shot the Charli XCX videos \u201cGuess\u201d and \u201c360,\u201d as well as numerous videos by FKA Twigs and Billie Eilish\u2019s \u201cBirds of a Feather,\u201d the mockumentary is sharply edited (kudos to Bill Sneddon and Neal Farmer), featuring rapid jump cuts that bombard the viewer at a frantic pace. The strobes and music mimic the high energy of a rave. It illustrates how chaotic Charli\u2019s life had become after her success.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s another scene in the mockumentary that calls to mind \u201cSpinal Tap\u201d when Johannes reveals a giant lighter that Charli is supposed to step out of, reminiscent of the plastic pod bassist Derek Smalls is meant to emerge from in Reiner\u2019s film. Of course, it comes complete with a giant cigarette.<\/p>\n
Cameos in the film include Rachel Sennott, playing herself and telling Charli she thought the Brat credit card was a joke, and Kylie Jenner, appearing as herself in a scene where Charli bumps into her in Ibiza.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Moment\u201d could have used more Charli XCX performance scenes, and while it is a satire, Charli\u2019s performance feels genuine. Most of what we see was fabricated, but all of it is plausible. Stardom comes with a price; we get it. It\u2019s reassuring to see that Charli XCX has a great sense of humor and a sharp business mind. By poking fun at herself, she just extended the life of the Brat lifestyle. You got us.<\/p>\n
(3 stars)<\/p>\n
Now showing in theaters<\/p>\n
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/02\/13\/the-moment-review-charli-xcx-puts-herself-on-blast-in-the-spinal-tap-on-meth-mockumentary\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n
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