On March 12th, a close friend of mine sent me a photo from SXSW with the caption, “I’m at the I Love Boosters premiere rn.” 2 hours later, I received another message simply reading, “It’s my favorite movie of the year.” This is not an uncommon occurrence for me, especially since I began to write more and more about movies, so I did what I always do: I put it on my watchlist and waited for either a screening or a wide release, whichever came first. And who would have guessed it? Boots Riley’s sophomore film, I Love Boosters, might actually be my favorite movie of the year (so far).
Written and directed by Riley, I Love Boosters follows Corvette (Keke Palmer), a young, broke fashion designer who makes a living “boosting” (shoplifting, then selling at a lower price) designer brand clothes with her two best friends, Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige). After catching the attention of Corvette’s hero, fashion icon Christie Smith (Demi Moore), the team decides to focus their entire operation on sabotaging/profiting from Smith’s latest fall collection. This leads to insane and stylish misadventure filled with fashionable outfits, wild wigs, bizarre technology, class politics, and much, MUCH more.
While the premise is rather straightforward, the direction in which the story goes is not. Much like Riley’s last film, Sorry to Bother You, this film GOES PLACES. Riley and his creative team are not afraid to throw absurdist imagery and scenarios at their audience, whether they be an abandoned chicken restaurant repurposed as a home or a leaning skyscraper. And those are in the first 10 minutes. The entire visual palette of the film is oozing with style through its creative, surreal imagery, extremely bold wardrobes, and its playfully chaotic score. One of my favorite images of the entire film is a recurring motif, only seen by Corvette, of a large ball of junk (which feels like it was pulled straight out of Katamari Damacy) comprised of eviction letters, bills, and other painful letters no one wants to see. This ball haunts Corvette throughout the film, an uncomfortable reminder of her current financial situation. This type of wacky, cartoon-like imagery helps place this film firmly in the absurd while also being rather relatable. These types of visuals make I Love Boosters one of the most interesting-looking films I’ve seen all year, and there are so many more, even weirder ones, that I’m not going to spoil in this review.
The performances are equally engaging, especially from the leading trio of Palmer, Ackie, and Paige. This ensemble is air-tight and overflowing with chemistry. Following up her very charming lead performance in One of Them Days, Palmer continues to showcase her uncanny ability to play nuanced, relatable, three-dimensional characters who also happen to be very funny. Naomi Ackie is no slouch either, with her portrayal of Sade being both an ally and a foil to Palmer’s Corvette. While Corvette is focused on being “connected with the world”, Sade has kids to feed and people to take care of. She also happens to be quite funny. Rounding out the team is Taylour Paige, who does double duty by providing both oddball and insightful commentary as the group gets deeper into their heist. She also happens to be rather funny. Poppy Liu joins the main cast later as Jianhu, a disgruntled Chinese factory worker hellbent on getting revenge on Christie Smith after she refused to improve the working conditions inside her sweatshops. Liu’s character of Jianhu helps bring the wider theme of collective class consciousness and how the working class can be punished for simply asking for non-dangerous work environments and stable pay. A luxury everyone should have, but few get to experience. She also happens to be… pretty funny.
Alongside these central characters is a phenomenal ensemble of supporting actors and enjoyable cameo performances. Demi Moore chews up the scenery as an artistically foul-mouthed, pretentious billionaire fashion designer, who gets a lot of mileage out of the word “bitch”. Moore rocks as an over-the-top villain; she should have gotten an Oscar. LaKeith Stanfield makes his return to Riley’s filmography as a fashion model and potential romantic interest for Corvette, with a performance that ebbs and flows from enchanting to menacing, beguiling to off-putting, angelic to demonic. It’s a very small role, and Stanfield acts like a walk-up hitter. Not in for the entire game, but explosive when needed. Portraying a snooty, “vibes-centered” store manager, Grayson, is the ever-hilarious Will Poulter, who continues to reign as one of the premier supporting actors working right now. Poulter might only have about 8 minutes of screen time, but he EATS IT UP. While I won’t go into detail about everyone in the film, special shout-out to Don Cheadle, who is spectacular as Dr. Jack, a community leader who is adamant that the only way out of poverty is through a pyramid scheme.
Although the visuals and performances are some of the best aspects of the film, the real highlight of this film has to be its script and central themes of working-class struggles, the need for community, and the “value” of labor. I Love Boosters is both a deep film trying to talk about the complex nuances found in our current capitalist hellscape, and an easily digestible off-the-wall absurdist comedy. Not my favorite metaphor, but it’s like Flintstones Vitamin Gummys. Goofy looking, but still provides essential vitamins and minerals that we should all be getting more of. Very few filmmakers can pull off the entertaining yet still thoughtful satire without dipping too far into one of the two divides. To clarify, I Love Boosters is more way more Brazil than it is Don’t Look Up. Let it be known, one of the goofiest films of the year, which has Looney Tunes-esque action scenes, is also one of the most insightful, pro-working-class films of the year.
Look. I get it. Times are hard, money is tight, and people are really struggling out here (believe me, I’m people). I know most audiences are averse to sitting down and watching a movie preach to you about the evils of late-stage capitalism, because many of them live through these horrors every day. But why go see anything like that when you can go see I Love Boosters, a nuanced film that uses its wacky visuals, bizarre antics, and hilarious cast to comment on and criticize the injustices that have become far too normal in 2026.
4.5 wigs (stars) out 5.
You better go see this. Do not go see Michael again…
Written and directed by Riley, I Love Boosters follows Corvette (Keke Palmer), a young, broke fashion designer who makes a living “boosting” (shoplifting, then selling at a lower price) designer brand clothes with her two best friends, Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige). After catching the attention of Corvette’s hero, fashion icon Christie Smith (Demi Moore), the team decides to focus their entire operation on sabotaging/profiting from Smith’s latest fall collection. This leads to insane and stylish misadventure filled with fashionable outfits, wild wigs, bizarre technology, class politics, and much, MUCH more. Co-starring Poppy Liu, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle, Will Poulter, and Eiza Gonzales, the film is produced by Annapurna Pictures, Neon, Ryder Picture Company, Savage Rose Films, and Waypoint Entertainment.
I Love Boosters hits theatres May 22nd, and you’d better be there.
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