Film Review: I Love Boosters – SLUG Magazine

Film Reviews

I Love Boosters
Director: Boots Riley
Neon, Focus Features, Universal Pictures
In Theaters: 05.22.2026

Recent times have shown us the impending horrors of late-stage capitalism. Quite the statement to start with.
Well… knowing this audience, this is an obvious statement. One could go on and on about how much this system has taken from people and easily become lost in the chaos. However, Boots Riley’s newest movie chooses to embrace chaos — a colorful and absurd chaos, that is. I Love Boosters is an afro-surrealist dreamscape that interrogates the hypocrisies and contradictions of capitalism while highlighting the importance of community, action and especially disruption. The film designs a new look for the revolution that shocks and inspires the audience to take action.

Keke Palmer (One of Them Days, Akeelah and the Bee) stars as Corvette, an aspiring fashion designer and leader of the booster team, The Velvet Gang, a group that shoplifts high-end clothes and sells them at a discount price. Corvette works alongside her two friends, Sade (Naomi Ackie, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Mickey 17) and Mariah (Taylour Paige, The Toxic Avenger, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F) as they try to make ends meet. When Corvette discovers that designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore, St. Elmo’s Fire, The Substance) stole the design she had submitted for a contest, she targets Metro Design, Smith’s fashion chain. In the midst of their plan, they meet and team up with Jianhu (Poppy Liu, Hacks, Dog Man), a Chinese factory worker protesting the poor working conditions of Christie Smith’s factories. Things get even more insane when they discover that Jianhu has a teleporter — and uses it in their heists to rob stores, leading viewers to discover more about the device.

Those expecting a typical narrative about revolution and taking down the system won’t find that here. Rather, I Love Boosters tries to be a revolution in its own way against Hollywood and the looming dread of the AI bubble through its storytelling and filmmaking. Riley takes full advantage of this medium and builds a world that is bursting with color and off-the-wall visuals — like the Smith’s slanted building or the crazy costumes worn by The Velvet Gang. He even goes as far as calling back to classic films like Jason and the Argonauts, with a live-action/stop-motion hybrid sequence that brings joy to anyone who wants tactile-ness back in movies.

Riley also forgoes any semblance of subtlety, but still manages to pack so much substance into the film. Of course, the visual gags can be peeled back to reveal deeply harsh truths about our world. Mariah’s hilarious trick to lighten her skin by holding her breath speaks volumes about the exhaustion black people deal with when code-switching. Or take the entire dissertation we get mid-way through the film about dialectical materialism, essentially telling the audience that Karl Marx is required reading for a workers’ revolution.
The film also acknowledges the messiness that comes with organizing and how acceleration is necessary for meaningful change. This goes without even diving into the uniquely black aspects of the film. The parts that speak specifically to the ones who lead the way in times of revolution and the roadblocks they face, from the appropriation of their art to the exploitation of their labor.
By focusing on the fashion industry, Riley dissects classism and elitism that exists in the space that is meant to celebrate human expression. The film basically states that those at the top are the artists, while everyone else is the art. In other words, those at the top shape the world into what they want it to be. But in truth, everyone wants to be an artist and put some of themselves into the world. When we do that, we can undoubtedly create a more equitable society.

Praise should also be given to the actors in this film. The leading ladies disappear into their roles, while bringing a level of charm and energy to every scene that makes you believe in their friendship. Of course, Paige steals the show in every scene she is in with her endearing performance that brings out the best in Palmer and Ackie. Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Iron Man 2) and Will Poulter (We’re the Millers, Midsommar) were also standouts. Cheadle, as the pyramid-schemer Dr. Jack, gives a great performance through layers of make-up and Poulter steals the show in every scene he is in as the uptight, petty Metro Designs branch manager Grayson.

While I praised the film for exploring so many meaningful aspects of revolution and actualization, you could still feel how busy this film truly is, which left certain ideas feeling underdeveloped. LaKeith Stanfield’s (Knives Out, Sorry to Bother You) character touches on the idea that men often steal women’s ambitions and souls to fulfill their own needs. While this did give us quite a memorable scene, his presence felt tacked on. Also, with so much happening in the movie, there were moments where the story felt like it was lost. Nonetheless, Riley manages to bring it all together in the end.

Once again delivering a scathing criticism of capitalism that is equal parts hilarious and optimistic, Riley’s approach to storytelling oozes with unconventionality, and through it he creates imaginative visuals that both shock and impress you. At the end of the day, I Love Boosters is a celebration of collective action that reminds us just how interconnected our issues are. —Angela Garcia

Read more film reviews by Angela Garcia:
Film Review: You, Me & Tuscany
Last Call for Secondhand Screenings!

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