Following up his 2018 directorial debut Sorry to Bother you and mini-series I’m A Virgo, Boots Riley returns to the director’s chair with his biggest and stylish project yet with I Love Boosters.

Corvette (Keke Palmer), Sade (Naomi Ackie), and Mariah (Teyana Taylor) are members of a crew of stylish shoplifters who call themselves Boosters. They specialize in stealing high end fashion and reselling it at lower prices. When they set their sights on Metro, a powerful clothing empire run by mogul Christie Smith (Demi Moore) the group prepares to pull off their biggest heist yet.

Everyone in the cast knows exactly what kind of film this is and goes all in, delivering over-the-top performances that matches the exaggerated California setting. Within the team of boosters Corvette gets the most focus having a personal vendetta against Christie Smith who stole one of her designs leading her team to get revenge. Demi Moore is having a ball playing this over top CEO that’s like a sarcastic foul-mouthed Anna Wintour. She’s a joy to watch and so deliciously means making you feel less bad about her being stolen from. Will Poulter is also a standout as an abrasive manager at one of the Metro stores as is Don Cheadle being unrecognizable both having brief appearances.

Boots Riley creates a fashion satire that only be described as an offbeat Wes Anderson script drenched in the colors and fabricated world of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.  All the sets whether it be a clothing store, or gala are all overly exaggerated dialed up with tons of bright colors and quirky little details. Even Christie Smiths corporate office leans into the absurdity being horizontally slanted on a curve with colorful floor tiles. Riley also deploys many film making techniques like stop motion and model cars that he uses for a chase during the climax which add to the film’s outlandish aesthetic.

Cr. Courtesy of NEON © 2026

Costume designer Lindsey Hartman dose an outstanding job making the various outfits standout from their vibrant colors and stylish look. There are so many different costumes and each of them are bursting with personality to fit each character. Whether the Boosters are staging a robbery or working at a Metro store for intel they all look visually distinct. Come awards season next year she will be a massive front runner in the costume category

At the heart of this wacky story is some very relevant social commentary that dives into how foreign workers in countries like China are often exploited by massive corporations. Highlighting how the clothing industry cuts costs on global manufacturing by taking advantage of weaker government regulations set in place. Exposing workers to long hours in grueling conditions with very little pay. However, many of its bigger themes feel half-baked at the detriment of scenes flowing at a chaotic breakneck speed just to get to the next crazy imagery. While some of these moments such as a character abruptly being shown as the devil, are visually interesting. They could have been trimmed down which would allow the commentary time to breathe and be more fleshed out.

I Love Boosters feels destined to become a cult classic with its zany energy and out their aesthetic on full display throughout the entire runtime. At times it can feel a little exhausting with its rapid-fire pacing and scenes having far too much going on. As all over the place as the film can be this is Boots Riley’s singular off the walls vision from start to finish. This is a film that you’ll want to go in knowing as little as possible with a lot of surprise elements hidden from all the marketing.