SXSW '26: I Love Boosters

I Love Boosters is the long awaited return to film from Musician/Director Boots Riley. It’s been eight years since Sorry To Bother You sent shockwaves through the film scene and in that spare time Riley had another project I’m A Virgo release to soft fanfare. People were wondering just where he was and what was going on in his mind creatively, then one day a project was announced with Keke Palmer attached to star in it and Boots Riley returning as writer/director. The cast didn’t stop there but much was still unknown about the film until the trailer dropped and let’s just say that it looked like a Boots Riley project. Abundant colors, pointed fashion choices, and a goofy plot with a deep-seeded message at its core, it finally looked like the prodigal son of revolution film was back. So how is I Love Boosters? Well, it’s pretty good but not without it’s flaws. 

Based on a song with the same title, the film follows the Velvet Gang, a group of three women as they go around shoplifting clothes from a major fashion conglomerate. They try to sell the clothes for lower prices, but the market is down. The clothes aren’t selling like they used to, Corvette (Keke Palmer) is living in an abandoned fried chicken joint with the insurmountable weight of bills, life and her relationships building up around her. Their activity gets them on the radar of fashion designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore) who vows to take down the Velvet Gang. This is about all that you need to know about the movie, but that very basic plot goes down a rabbit hole that kind of comes out of nowhere. Similar to the twist in Sorry To Bother You, but in that film it felt a bit more concise. The frantic nature of where that movie goes felt a bit more earnest and deserved, whereas in I Love Boosters it feels a bit convoluted. Things begin to happen that feel like they were never really explained and by the time the movie comes to a head it feels like it has to try to shoehorn in a political message that, while welcome, feels like it would have been of greater service if it had set up the idea earlier in the film. 

Despite the criticism about the plot, everyone seems like they’re having the time of their lives and for good reason. It’s a fun and silly movie that moves fast for better or worse. Keke Palmer gives Corvette reason and an identity making the character feel like more than a role but someone that you have probably met before. Naomi Ackie gives a great performance in the film as Sade, Corvette’s best friend, even if she isn’t allowed to do very much. She’s mostly there to be a voice of reason that doesn’t get listened to until things get bad and then she gets her “I told you so” moment. If there’s one thing to say its that the characters don’t really get much to do since the movie meanders through it’s first half. It isn’t until Poppy Liu’s Jianhu and her magic purse enters the fold that the movie starts to move. She’s great in the movie as a shoplifter on a larger mission to take down Christie Smith that teams up with the Velvet Gang as they share some similar motives .

The costume design is out of this world. Colors pop and the outrageous designs work really well for the world that the film builds. Everyone looks like they stepped right off of the runway as the big and loud outfits dazzle across the screen. Haute couture is on full display here and also lends itself well to the story. Color is a commodity, color is for the rich who can afford it while greys and blacks are reserved for the downtrodden and blue collar. Similar to Sorry To Bother You where the call center looked like a drab, out the box office space, the sweatshops are gros and gray where the retail stores are bright and eye piercing. While looking good and stylish the movie does something really impressive by incorporating it into the plot and not just having people dressed for the sake of being dressed. 

I Love Boosters is a fun albeit confusing bit of mess. The messaging is clear but has no real runway to pull it off, plot points come and go as they please with no real sense of set up and the frantic nature of the film’s pacing is a bit daring. But for every half baked detail this movie offers, it makes up in style and acting which seems like a bit of a Boots Riley show. It’s unclear whether this was meant to be a TV show or a fully fleshed out film, because at times it feels like set up for the next episode or that a certain thing would need more time to be developed, but it’s good to have Boots Riley back making movies either way.

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