The Moment (2026) Review

When The Moment was announced, it was sure to appeal to core fans of Charli XCX, but it was also cleverly marketed in a vague enough way to entice chronically curious movie-goers to wonder how exactly it would pan out. Its teasers and branding promised either a unique take on a documentary concert film, or perhaps a more satirical, artsy take on Charli’s XCXs monumental rise to fame during her ubiquitous ‘brat’ era.

Now that it’s been released, it’s certain that The Moment delivers to a much wider audience than anyone could have expected. It is surprisingly entertaining as a project in its own right- enjoyable and unpredictable enough to succeed as its own film, even when removed from Charli XCX lore and music.

Considering that most audiences likely assumed this would be at least something of a concert film, the film is decidedly not that. Instead, it’s perhaps one of the funniest (and certainly one of the best) films satirizing the music industry that we’ve seen in years.

The Moment wears its influences on its sleeve, taking equal parts from the dry British humor of The Office as much as it pays homage to rockumentary films like Spinal Tap, CB3, and aspects of Documentary Now, all while also carving its own unique path in the process.

Clever, nuanced, and absurd conversations lead to many, many moments of hilarity throughout the film, and much of the laughs here are through silly but believable miscommunications, facial expressions and the satirization of industry absurdity.

The film is also carried by its naturalism and chaotic energy that makes its audience feel like they are a passenger along for the ride through the chaos of stardom.

Charli XCX herself does a fantastic job as the star of the film, and she’s only lifted higher by a great supporting cast, who mostly represents a clown car of agents, lawyers, creative directors and studio stooges. The entire cast, although quite an assortment of characters, has a very natural rapport and work together for some really tight comedic timing and comedically awkward moments. There are some obvious cameos from Charli’s IRL circle, as well as more surprising supporting actors that actually end up stealing the show, with Alexander Skarsgård absolutely killing it as the brutally unaware corporate film director.

Stylistically, it is decidedly more artsy than the afformentioned rockumentaries, but it largely still uses the same style of shaky handheld-cam and punch zooms stylings of its predecessors, even if its unique in its aesthetic, pacing and overall narrative.

Aside from its mockumentary comedic stylings, it’s also shot similarly to an “indie” tour documentary, and its rough edges make the film feel intimate and very in-the-moment, with many scenes shot with intentionally amateurish zooms, through windows, or through a generally more voyeuristic lens.

Fans of Charli XCX will obviously get more out of the film, simply due to the amount of references to her real-life experience with stardom, but I feel the film has enough to offer through its cast, narrative and comedic chops that it succeeds in appealing to wider audiences as well.

As for music, the film features a few songs from Charli herself, but they usually appear within the context of her character performing on stage, or hearing her song within the film’s environment. It’s really not a concert film in the least, and some of the biggest moments in the film actually feature tracks from other artists, sometimes for comedic effect, sometimes to better suit the emotionality of the scene.

The Moment is a thoroughly surprising comedic standout, and is shockingly one of the best comedies I’ve seen in years. It was a fantastically entertaining experience, even for someone who isn’t the biggest fan of her catalogue.