When I first started reading reviews for Charli XCX’s The Moment, there were a lot of things that intrigued me. The “Boom Clap” singer is one of the biggest artists in the world, for one, and I assumed that with A24 involved, the project would be as unique as Charli herself. However, a “365 party girl” I am not — I’m definitely not bumpin’ that — so I skipped it when it initially hit the 2026 movie calendar. When The Moment became available to stream with an HBO Max subscription, I had to check it out, and man, it was so much more than I expected.
What Was I Expecting From The Moment?
From the previews, I thought The Moment looked like a lightly exaggerated story of Charli XCX fighting the corporate greed machines that wanted to stomp all over her creativity. I expected a moody artist, mopily rolling her eyes at executives who didn’t “get” it and just wanted her brat summer to be a perpetual paycheck.
I suppose there was some of that, but moody and mopey aren’t Charli’s style. Her plight was actually both respectable and relatable, as she tried to execute a vision that stayed true to herself and served her fans — and she wanted to do it without completely burning out.
I Didn’t Expect The Moment To Be So Funny
The humor was something I really didn’t expect, and I’m not sure why, especially with a cast that includes Jamie Demetriou, Kate Berlant and Rachel Sennott, not to mention Alexander Skarsgård, who is unhinged as the concert film’s director. Sure, there was some biting commentary — there’s no way those Eras Tour vibes were by accident — but it was often so subtle that I found myself laughing out loud while wondering if there’d even been a joke.
It felt
As a Millennial who grew up watching Spice World, there was a lot of that but plenty of This Is Spinal Tap, too. That giant lighter prop that Skarsgård’s Johannes wanted to put Charli XCX in and then light on fire seemed destined for a Christopher Guest-esque mishap, and Charli’s timing was brilliant after seeing her dummy stand-in crash to the stage while flying over it:
Is that me?
Some of the funniest jokes were just thrown away (that’s not an insult), with a character muttering something in the background, never winking to the camera in a way that reminded me of Best in Show.
The Moment Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously But Also Shows Incredible Heart
In addition to the comedy, I didn’t expect Charli XCX to go on such an insightful journey about what the moment was and what she wanted to gain from it. She got particularly vulnerable in the final scenes of the movie, when she admitted she didn’t want brat summer to end, saying:
I know it’s not chic to be the last person at the party, but I think I hate going home.
I’m really glad I decided to watch The Moment, even after reading reviews that told me if I wasn’t a loyal Charli XCX fan, I probably wouldn’t get it. I think I very much did get it, and I loved the humor and the satire and vulnerability of it all.
The Moment is available to stream on HBO Max now.
