I Love Boosters (2026)

​“I Love Boosters” stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore.  Released on May 22, 2026, the film follows a group of shoplifters confronting a fashion maven.

The film was written and directed by Boots Riley, the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club, known for writing and directing “Sorry to Bother You” and creating the comedy series “I’m a Virgo”.  In the fashion world, appearances are everything.  However, getting these highly detailed and colorful clothes can cost you an arm and a leg for the sake of looking pretty.  It’s a good thing this particular group knows how to respond to the situation while looking fashionably and weirdly divine.  With another Disney blockbuster seeking to dominate Memorial Day weekend, several other films have arrived to deliver some counter-programming to those who aren’t interested in traveling through the galaxy far, far away.  One of which is the latest directorial effort from rapper-turned-filmmaker Boots Riley, where the passion for fashion gets a surreal, cinematic makeover.  Fortunately for us, it doesn’t cost a fortune to experience this transformation unfold, but is it also fashionable enough to warrant the runway treatment?  Let’s find out.

The story takes place in an alternate version of the San Francisco Bay Area, where the fashion world dominates society.  A group of “boosters” known as the “Velvet Gang”, consisting of Corvette (Palmer), Mariah (Paige), and Sade (Ackie), spend their lives stealing clothes from stores and reselling them at a lower price to make ends meet.  Their crime spree hits a snag upon confronting a cutthroat fashion maven named Christie Smith (Moore), who steals Corvette’s designs and passes them off as her own.  As a result, Corvette and her crew seek to get even with Christie, sparking a movement that would impact the industry forever.

I may be more of a casual observer of fashion than an expert, but seeing the film’s stacked cast and director is more than enough to get me interested in its concept.  I was initially unfamiliar with Boots Riley and the rap groups he led, even though I have listened to plenty of rap music occasionally.  That is, until I watched his directorial debut, “Sorry to Bother You”, almost eight years ago.  It’s been a long time since I last saw it in theaters, but I remember thinking it to be one of the most bizarre and ambitiously creative pieces of filmmaking I’ve ever seen.  It had a strong cast and an impressive sense of surrealism in its humor and visuals, but it also highlighted Boots Riley's vision and satire about capitalism.  I wouldn’t mind rewatching it once it’s available to stream for free, but until then, I'd consider myself surprised by Riley’s transition from music to filmmaking.

His second feature film, “I Love Boosters”, asks whether Riley can recapture lightning in a bottle by taking shots at the fashion industry.  Well, I don’t need to be a fashionista to answer that particular question.  With just enough absurdity and radical force to complement its fashionable filmmaking, “I Love Boosters” is a weirdly clever and highly entertaining heist comedy that didn’t lose sight of the themes beneath.  If you’ve seen “Sorry to Bother You”, you’ll have a clear idea of what you’re getting yourself into in terms of tone and humor.  “I Love Boosters” is equivalent to the long-lost sibling of that movie.  They both possess an offbeat and oddly creative mind that translates into an imaginative, music video-like realm where anything is possible, and I do mean “anything”.  But it also underscores activism in ways that balance realism with eccentric ideas.  In this case, “I Love Boosters” targets capitalism within the fashion industry, particularly the poverty and exploitative practices employees faced while making the higher-ups richer through their hard work.  It’s the same old story told on various occasions, and the film proves it couldn’t be any truer.

“Sorry to Bother You” highlighted Boots Riley as another director who can take something similar and reinvigorate it with their own imaginatively weird mind and private experiences.  Yes, he started as a rapper, but he has also been a strong supporter of communism, which helped him imagine his experience as a cinematic art form.  Was it absurd?  Yes, it was.  Did it resemble something out of a dream after eating too much candy?  Probably so.  But that’s what made “Sorry to Bother You” so unique and entertaining to me.  It may not win over everyone with its “magical realism,” but it’s one of the reasons I appreciate the commitment to strange concepts in film, even if not all of them work.  Unsurprisingly, Boots Riley managed to impress me once again with his oddball vision in “I Love Boosters”.  Everything about his direction is lively, vibrant, and so radically preposterous that I felt like I was watching a live-action cartoon.  Riley remained dedicated to preserving the surrealism and quirky charm of its gags, scenarios, and even its characters, elevating the entertainment value of its typical heist premise without ever hitting the brakes.  It’s this type of vision that makes me question what the heck the director was drinking while making this, and if I can have a sip.

As I said, Riley’s unconventional approach to the presentation may not suit everyone, particularly those who don’t want to feel like they’re on drugs while watching it.  But it’s also why “I Love Boosters” worked for me, and I applaud Riley for staying true to his creative vision while also having some fun with its chaotic ideas.  The same goes for his screenplay, which satirically explores the industry’s treatment of its lower-class employees and the radical movement against it.  “I Love Boosters” seems like another heist movie, akin to “Ocean’s Eleven”, but with fashion, but Riley takes advantage of most of its intended tropes through wit, charisma, and well-balanced chaos.  There’s a lot to unpack with its silliness, which could’ve risked the film being too disorderly for its own good.  Thankfully, Riley’s script managed to balance that with his thematic approach and even the likable “boosters”.  There were a couple of scenes that dragged out the humor a bit and didn’t fully achieve the emotional intent of the themes it hoped to convey.  Nonetheless, this is another creative and thoughtful screenplay from Boots Riley that not only reinvigorates its narrative pattern but also speaks for the people about the world around them.

There were also a couple more elements of the film that I enjoyed, including the costume designs.  Fashion plays a crucial role in “I Love Boosters”, meaning that they had to pull all the stops to make some of the most outrageous and fashionably gorgeous clothes ever to put out on the screen or, in this case, the runway.  To no one’s surprise, they succeeded on all fronts.  Whether it’s the disguises for the Velvet Gang or the clothes that match the color of a store’s interior, the costume designs gleefully match the film’s intended surrealism while also looking good enough to make “The Devil Wears Prada” look like a baby’s clothes shop.  It certainly gets my vote for Best Costume Design at next year’s Oscars, though I’m not able to do that for real yet.  Just consider it my imaginary vote for now.  Another element worth mentioning was the music, which was composed by Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, also known as Tune-Yards, the same duo behind the score for “Sorry to Bother You”.  Drawing on a variety of unique sounds from different genres, Tune-Yards offered a slew of melodies that effectively complemented the film’s weirdness and energy, particularly on the “Hi Ho” track.

The film’s cast also did a really good job of maintaining the movie’s intended tone, especially Keke Palmer.  It’s easy to tell that Palmer is starting to make some good choices that benefit her talents, particularly comedies.  She has proven that she can not only act, but can also make me laugh without even trying, with her performance in “One of Them Days” being the prime example.  This year, Palmer has made another strong choice with “I Love Boosters”, which allows her to showcase her acting skills and comedic timing.  While it’s close to being as good as her role in “One of Them Days”, Palmer’s performance as Corvette packs enough benefits in her range and levity to further highlight her abilities as an actor.  She is really good in this movie, and her chemistry with Naomi Ackie and Taylour Paige is as stylish as the clothes they’re wearing.  Poppy Liu also delivered some amusing moments in her performance as Jianhu, though her line delivery sounded flat at times.  I don’t think I’ve seen the actress in anything else outside her voice acting roles in “The Tiger’s Apprentice” and “Dog Man”, so hopefully her role would help me recognize her more in her upcoming projects.  Demi Moore's portrayal of Christie Smith was also a satisfying role to watch, especially following her Oscar win for “The Substance.” While it may not surpass her incredible performance as an aging celebrity in the body-horror film, Moore successfully captures the tongue-in-cheek essence of a fashion maven who prioritizes art and success over her employees' well-being.

Overall, “I Love Boosters” is a weirdly fashionable and chaotically diverting comedy that further puts Boots Riley’s oddball imagination on the Hollywood map.  Through the director’s combination of absurd gags and radical themes that target the fashion world, the film is as surreal and utterly disarrayed as it sounds, but it has enough charm and wit to boost its bizarre reinvention of the heist genre.  Its tone can be a bit much for some viewers, and a couple of drawn-out scenes threaten to derail this highly entertaining crime spree.  Other than that, this is a well-balanced depiction of crazy ideas, thematic essence, and offbeat mayhem that emphasizes Boots Riley’s unique cinematic voice and even his passion for fashion.  Regarding its magnetic cast, unique direction, blend of weirdness and humor, and infectious score, this crime comedy spotlights Boots Riley as another creative filmmaker worth keeping an eye on, like we’re keeping an eye on a new fashion trend.  If you enjoyed “Sorry to Bother You” for its surreal presentation, you might enjoy this one for the same reason.

B+