Two things can be true at the same time.
There’s no better way to describe pop sensation Charli XCX. She’s authentically underground and a commercially successful icon. That coexistence is on full display in her mockumentary The Moment from A24.
The heavily meta movie follows Charli as she plays a heightened version of herself. She’s preparing for a mega concert and subsequent concert film. Yes, it’s a concert movie about trying to make a concert movie. Even her crew asks if she’s going straight documentary, or “is this a Joaquin Phoenix thing?” We’re left to wonder that very question as we watch it play out.
Friction enters when an accomplished director is hired to help keep her “brat moment” going. Alexander Skarsgård plays the auter Johannes (a name pronounced differently every time it’s uttered). Skarsgård is convincingly competent and hilariously infuriating as he tries to wrestle the artistry out of her show.
Stage visuals begin to go from edgy to laughable. Visions of Katy Perry’s much lampooned space tour can’t help but flash through your mind. Case in point, Johannes replacing the letter H with a hashtag symbol in a stage sign reading “bitch”. Families might be watching! When her creative director Celeste (Hailey Gates), explains that she’s singing about cocaine, he wonders, “literally or metaphorically?”. Charli must decide between pleasing her new mainstream masters and keeping artistic integrity. As she hangs in the air during high wire rehearsals, we see how truly exposed and vulnerable she is. You can’t help but feel for her as she’s losing control of everything, personally and professionally.
A parade of ass-kissers and industry handlers vie for control. Things tumble. A brand endorsement for a brat credit card goes hilariously south. Stephen Colbert skewers with endless brat references, making her sit in the meme stew she created. A casual run-in with Kylie Jenner makes Charli question her own perceptions of reality.
Meanwhile, the stakeholder madness marches on. Soon, Charli’s rendered almost irrelevant to her own show.
The laughs are dry. When things teeter on the edge of cartoonish, it pulls back. There are plenty of laughs, but The Moment rarely feels like it’s trying too hard. The self deprecation makes me root for this movie, even if it feels likes it’s playing it safe at times. Your enjoyment may be enhanced if you’re already a Charli XCX fan. But even if this is your introduction, it’s an entertaining peek at pop culture absurdity.
In the end, The Moment threads a needle. By pointing out how cringe all this megastar capitalism can be, she immunizes herself from criticism of participating in it. As she winks at us, she retains that rebel identity. It’s a “Boom Clap” play.
7.5 out of 10
-Jim Chandler
Jim is a morning radio host on Nashville’s Totally Hits 93-3 and member of the Music City Film Critic’s Association.
Untitled Film Project 