Boots Riley is back with another absurd satire, and this time, he’s coming after the capitalist fashion industry. I Love Boosters follows three women who struggle to make ends meet by selling stolen clothes at a discount, a practice known as boosting. They call themselves the Velvet Gang because they specifically steal designer clothes, and their leader, Corvette (Keke Palmer), is a designer herself. When Corvette realizes that fashion mogul and billionaire Christie Smith (Demi Moore) is stealing her designs and turning a profit, she makes it Velvet Gang’s mission to rob every single one of her stores.
The movie is vibrant, silly, and wholly unique—a staple for director Boots Riley. The star-studded cast brings a frantic energy to the characters, and it almost becomes a Muppet-like ensemble, with all the quirky personalities competing with one another. Rather than have Corvette be the only normal one, the Kermit of it all, Riley makes her just as weird as the other characters. And with a charming leading lady like Keke Palmer (NOPE, Akeelah and the Bee), why not make her weird, too?
Riley is no stranger to the weird, given his track record with past works like I’m a Virgo(2023) and Sorry to Bother You(2018). He excels at picking one aspect and making it as outlandish as possible, forcing the narrative to follow suit as nature dictates. This sets the stage perfectly for social commentary and satire, something Riley doesn’t shy away from at all. This is the biggest issue with I Love Boosters: too many aspects are made absurd, and the narrative suffers as a result. It’s hard to follow, which would be fine if the symbolism weren’t so overt and hard to ignore.
Christie Smith’s office is the tallest in the city, but it’s on a tilt—a relentless visual gag that tires itself out. Yes, capitalism is a slippery slope that inevitably leads to corruption and someone else’s poverty. While this is very true and worthwhile to examine, it’s hardly novel enough to warrant such an exhausting metaphor. Gags like this could be overlooked, but they happen so often. Another overused symbolism is Mariah’s ability to turn biracial if she holds her breath. It’s a funny bit that highlights Taylour Paige’s comedic chops and the silliness of colorism, but it doesn’t meaningfully impact the story beyond convenience.
The movie is filled with gags like this that go nowhere. They’re worth the laughs they earn, but it all comes at the narrative’s expense. There’s this hyper-tech science-fiction device that keeps the story moving, and not a single character can identify it or agree on what it does. It’s a literal plot device with no explanation or purpose other than moving to the next scene. When its abilities start to become clear, it does something else and further complicates things. It’s like it’s not meant to be studied too closely, which is no fun at all.
I Love Boosters does some of its best work, however, in the casting department. Palmer’s charm is tangible in her portrayal of the ambitious Corvette. She’s in her True Jackson, VP element and elevates her castmates. Her scenes with actresses Naomi Ackie (Mickey 17, Lady Macbeth) and Taylour Paige (IT: Welcome to Derry, White Boy Rick) are sharp and just the right amount of goofy, perfect for Riley’s preferred way of storytelling. Add in Poppy Liu (No Good Deed, His & Hers) to the mix, and you get a quartet of comedy. The supporting cast is played by blockbuster stars including Demi Moore (The Substance, A Few Good Men), Don Cheadle (Avengers: Infinity War, Hotel Rwanda), Will Poulter (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, We’re the Millers), and Boots Riley’s favourite, LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Get Out).
Underneath their silly personalities, they each have an underlying corporate rage in them, as if Corvette’s mere existence is a threat to their status quo. In this way, they’re a necessary conflict and help raise the stakes. In another way, their silliness overrides any conflict they present. Their quirks distract from the narrative and make the plot hard to follow, which seems to be a theme for this movie. Then again, perhaps the quirks are the narrative, and this is obviously the entire point.
All this being said, the movie does even better work with its astounding visuals. The colors are bright and loud, fitting for Riley’s style. Contrast and shape dictate the set designs, as if Corvette herself designed them. A handful of the set pieces and character designs are visibly manmade—paper mâché, claymation, and various arts and crafts. For some, this could come off as childish or even cheap. For others, this is where Boots Riley thrives: authentic human ingenuity.
At its worst, I Love Boosters is a 90-minute Saturday Night Live skit that mocks late-stage capitalism and doesn’t do much else. At its best, the movie is a heartfelt and entertaining example of what human minds can achieve when they work together.
Rating: 7/10