'Total misfire' or 'very moving'? Reviews for Charli XCX’s film The Moment are in

The reviews are in for Charli XCX's new film The Moment, and they're pretty mixed, which some may argue is pretty brat.

Directed by Aidan Zamiri, a longtime creative partner of Charli XCX, the mockumentary stars the '360' singer along with Rachel Sennott, Hailey Benton Gates, Trew Mullen, Kate Berlant, and Shygirl, Rosanna Arquette, Arielle Dombasle, and Tish Weinstock, plus Alexander Skarsgård alongside Jamie Demetriou, Mel Ottenberg, Isaac Powell, Rish Shah, A. G. Cook and Michael Workéyè.

It also stars Kylie Jenner, and this role marks her acting debut.

The A24 film follows a "rising pop sensation navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressures while preparing for her arena tour debut, revealing the transformation of underground culture into mainstream success," according to the synopsis.

The world premiere took place at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and fans don't have to wait too long to see it themselves as it is scheduled to be released in the US on January 30, 2026.

What are critics saying?

YouTube/A24

Currently, The Moment has received mixed reviews, with it sitting at 54 per cent critics' score on film and TV series review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, while on IMDb it has a rating of 5.8 out of 10.

The Guardian's Adrian Horton, in her review with the headline "Charli xcx struggles through defanged Brat summer satire", gave the film three stars out of five, and wrote, "In other words, smart concepts, talented people, solid blueprint. But there is too little risk to rise above its sharp-eyed construction."

"Those devoted to the Charli cause will no doubt get more out of the film than an out-of-touch oldster like myself ever could. But the film probably should have endeavored to be more broadly accessible," The Hollywood Reporter's Richard Lawson said in his review, where the headline describes it as a "Muddled Mockumentary That’s Mainly for the Fans."

The film was described as "unconvincing” by Variety's Owen Gleiberman, noting it could have “pushed further into crackpot satirical extremes”.

"In that case, it wouldn't have been a movie that featured a 'real' version of Charli XCX. But it might have made you laugh more, because it would have been genuinely outlandish rather than just unconvincing," he noted.

Meanwhile, Screen Rant's Gregory Nussen called the mockumentary a "total misfire on nearly every level."

"The Moment is a shapeless, thoroughly uninteresting exercise in self-effacement. Any attempt the movie makes at peeling back the layers of an international icon is wholly for naught," adding how it is "neither works as straight comedy nor as a tense character drama.”

"Charli turns in an impressive, funny and at times very moving performance as this version of herself, channeling the anxieties, fears and self-doubt that begin to take over the character as the film progresses," said The Wrap's Chase Hutchinson, calling the film "funny and flawed."

When does the film come out?

The Moment hits cinemas in the US on January 30, while fans in the UK and Ireland have a little longer to wait as it comes in cinemas on February 20.

Elsewhere from Indy100, Fans think Charli XCX's Kylie Jenner snap feels more than a cameo, and Everything we know about Charli XCX's new film featuring Kylie Jenner.

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