Once the fervor around Charli XCX’s 2024 album “brat” had cooled, the singer was approached to make a documentary about the tour—a practice that’s been embraced by the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. But Charli, who has built her brand in opposition to mainstream expectations, instead released “The Moment,” a tongue-in-cheek satire about the pressures stars face to milk career highs like “brat summer” for all they’re worth. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz consider “The Moment” alongside both the sanitized documentaries it mocks and other artists’ attempts to subvert the form. Many of these projects promise genuine insight into their subjects, but what they actually show is the increasingly delicate balancing act of “authentic” celebrity. “It is really hard to both reveal and conceal at the same time,” Fry says. “To invite the fan in—but not in a way that feels unsafe, or that could get you cancelled, or could make you sell less, or could make you unloved.”

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Read, watch, and listen with the critics:

Charli XCX’s “brat”
“The Moment” (2026)
“Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” (2019)
“Gaga: Five Foot Two” (2017)
“A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)
“Spice World” (1997)
“Taylor Swift: The End of an Era” (2025)
“Sean Combs: The Reckoning” (2025)
“Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” (2023)
“Gimme Shelter” (1970)
“Madonna: Truth or Dare” (1991)
“I’m Still Here” (2010)

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Critics at Large is a weekly discussion from The New Yorker which explores the latest trends in books, television, film, and more. Join us every Thursday as we make unexpected connections between classic texts and pop culture.