I Love Boosters (2026)

A group of shoplifters (Keke Palmer, Taylour Paige, Naomi Ackie) take aim at a ruthless fashion maven (Oscar-nominee Demi Moore) by stealing her clothes and reselling them at a lower price, partially out of revenge for her stealing several of their fashion designs.  This is the latest opus from writer/director Boots Riley (Sorry To Bother You) and that overall description doesn't really do it justice to the many crazy turns which this sci-fi/corporate satire takes.  The stacked cast also includes Lakeith Stanfield, Eiza Gonzalez, Poppy Liu, Will Poulter, and Don Cheadle.  Get ready for a wild, genre-defying ride!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

I LOVE BOOSTERS - 2026

Directed by Boots Riley

Starring Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadler, Kara Young, Jason Ritter, Eric Andre, Jermaine Fowler, Alan Z, and Demi Moore 

Genre: Sci-Fi Satirical Comedy 

After having recently rewatched his bat-shit directorial debut from eight years ago, Sorry To Bother You - a genre blend of corporate satire and sci-fi paranoia which MOSTLY stuck the landing - I had thought that I was ready for whatever insanity Boots Riley could throw out there for his follow-up. 😆 And given that he throws even more at the screen this time around - clearly armed with a significantly bigger budget allowing for an impressive array of miniatures, rapid-fire costume, and stop-motion - I think I was MOSTLY right. 

Because it certainly helps to have seen his previous film to get you more on board this time around. ;) Not every gag lands the way it should and it's full-on maximumalist filmmaking in the vein of Baz Luhrman or Terry Gilliam....seeing this stuff unfold on the big screen can definitely be headache-inducing for the uninitiated!  SO....if you're on his wavelength and that includes being prepared for several awkward close-ups of Lakeith Stanfield in BOTH films (no complaints from me, even though his is much more of a supporting turn this time around), then you should have a good time. His films are definitely as much of an acquired taste as Baz or Gilliam but like those guys at their best, the themes are always clear even when the structure gets a bit messy. 

And this film DOES get messy and there were at least two moments when I found myself thinking, "Did we REALLY need to go there?" But when it's cooking, which is most of the time, it's cooking! :) The cast is pretty great across the board lead by Keke Palmer, Taylor Paige, and Naomi Ackie who have nice chemistry and deliver well-drawn characters even when they are sometimes obscured under gobs and gobs of garish disguises - this trio are our titular "boosters" stealing mass quantities of clothing from a specific chain of higher-end couture stores which they can resell at significantly lower prices. 

And this is mostly driven by their personal vendetta (well more for Keke's Corvette who was previously a clothing designer) against the woman who runs this fashion line AND these stores, played deliriously by recent Oscar-nominee Demi Moore. But she is clearly on to them....and this eventually escalates into a full-on labor war spreading over to China where these clothes are actually made. Poppy Liu (also having fun) plays one such factory worker who also joins their cause, aided by some pretty out-there technology which she has nabbed from her current employer. The always delightful Eiza Gonzalez ALSO joins their cause as an actual employee of one of these stores who's fighting for more worker's rights on the retail end. 

If you thought that was ENOUGH key characters, think again because more interesting folks just keep popping up resulting in increasingly more complications along the way. Not to spoil too much but the story even delves into the existence of demons, teleportation, and visual code-switching at certain points among several other off-kilter things. 🙄 It's positively unhinged but it's always entertaining and there is just so much creativity and energy behind everything that I couldn't help but get sucked in. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film):

And yes the music is DEFINITELY essential to this film’s overall vibe and tone….and there are two key components to it, one of them a genuinely nutso, mostly stripped down score filled with random voices, sounds, and even some horns.  It comes to us from an apparent first-time composer for film whom I can’t find anything about, Alina Khan….whose goes under the stage name “Tune-Yards” I believe?  It’s the similar type of anarchic, mostly non-melodic music you would hear over Pee Wee’s Big Adventure back in the ‘80’s or….more recently…..previous episode Poor Things.  The opening track playing over the opening credits definitely sets the tone for what follows, this is the fun and KINDA catchy “Hi-Ho.” (Audio clip) 

The other key musical component is an eclectic collection of needle-drops, most notable several which are actually performed by the star herself, Keke Palmer….apparently she’s also a pop singer, I didn’t know.  But she has a lovely voice and delivers a lovely, breezy love song to close out the movie – it’s pretty disarming and helps to end the film on a disarmingly sweet note.  What I really like is the last shot is pretty much a smile on a key character’s face and then CREDITS, this song is the charming synth pop of “Cassandra.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

For probably this film’s first half, my thoughts would have been Lakeith Stanfield as he initially comes off as a pretty one-note side character, he’s credited as “Pinky Ring Guy” and his character is more of a visual gag than anything else.  But then….he’s given this awkward monologue in the second half which probably produced the biggest laugh in the movie for me – he’s strictly a utility player this time around but he’s doing his job.

That said, what HAS happened to the career of Mr. Stanfield?  Because just five years ago, I considered him to be one of the most exciting young actors out there doing a lot of genuinely interesting stuff in a wide variety of movies whether they were smaller or bigger roles: Short Term 12, he grabbed you with a small but critical role in Get Out, he’s FANTASTIC in the aforementioned Sorry to Bother You, Knives Out, and really strong performances in previous episodes The Harder They Fall, Uncut Gems, AND Judas and the Black Messiah, the latter of which SHOULD have garnered him Oscar attention alongside co-star Daniel Kaluuya.  In my opinion, it was a bit of category fraud as Kaluuya was the clearcut star of that film but slotted for Best Supporting Actor which he won for….and he’s AMAZING.  But I would have just preferred that Kaluuya get Best Actor with Lakeith getting Best Supporting….because HIS role is just about as tricky and equally impressive.  Now that was in 2021.

But SINCE 2022?  It’s just a different story….now I haven’t SEEN The Book of Clarence nor Die My Life but co-starring in ANOTHER Disney Haunted Mansion reboot and pretty much the 40th generic straight-to-streaming Mark Wahlberg action vehicle?  Ugh, he just deserves better!  And maybe he will be soon.  Looking at his IMDB, Lakeith has some VERY interesting projects coming over the next year with some pretty interesting directors including Bernard Rose, John Hyams, and Rick Famuyiwa….so here’s hoping. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

As this film just hit theaters, I’m leery about spoiling too much as there were genuinely FUN surprises to be had from seeing this…..chief among them would probably be a scene which occurs right around 40 minutes in….I THINK….when our four main protagonists go about testing the various uses and functions for this mysterious device which was stolen from China….I’m not even sure if I can make complete sense of how this is explained but I’ll say that they really sell it with aplomb. 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

But it's clear at this point that Riley is a filmmaker with a distinct POV, a pretty original style, an obvious affection for Oakland, and very importantly - UNLIKE those two very accomplished filmmakers just mentioned - the instinct to keep his films JUST long enough. 🤗 Both this and STBY clock in at around 105 minutes and this latest one even has a significantly tighter ending. (I still feel like the ending of that first film was somewhat mishandled) For once again rising to the challenge of crafting a genuinely original, slam-bang entertainment which never wears out its welcome, Boots Riley is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Now Playing in Theaters

Overall, I would say this is likely a BIT less cohesive than Sorry To Bother You but ultimately more satisfying. Here's hoping that we don't need to wait another eight years to see whatever crazy concoction Boots has in store for us next.

And that ends another FASHION FORWARD PHILANTRHOPY review!