FILM REVIEWS
I LOVE BOOSTERS (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Boots Riley
I LOVE BOOSTERS (USA 2026) ***
Directed by Boots Riley
A booster is a person or thing that increases, supports, or improves the power, effectiveness, or morale of something else. That is the normal meaning of the word booster. But in the film, booster takes a different ‘slang’ meaning. A booster is used in its slang criminal sense: a shoplifter, especially someone who steals clothing or retail goods for resale.
The term is important because it gives the movie a political and social angle. In the teaser and early descriptions, the boosters are portrayed almost like anti-capitalist Robin Hood figures — people who see stealing luxury fashion as a response to economic inequality and exploitation in the fashion industry. One article notes that the characters view boosting “almost as a community service.”
The film follows a group of “boosters” called The Velvet Gang, operating in a surreal version of the Bay Area, who steal fashion items and designs from major retailers and fashion elites. They then go up against a ruthless fashion mogul played by Demi Moore (doing a poor person’s imitation of the Meryl Streep role in THE PRADA WEARS PRADA) after she appropriates their designs.
One must give writer/director Riley credit for trying his hardest in his movie; he said that this is the best film at the introduction of the film at the promo screening. His film contains some stunning, though vulgar, visual effects, and his energy clearly shows throughout the movie.
The film I LOVE BOOSTERS is an acquired taste. It celebrates Boots Riley’s style, similar to SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, where satire, class politics, and absurd comedy are mixed together, like in this film. Those who like their political satire subtle and quiet will hate this, but I LOVE BOOSTERS leans towards the wild and the absurd. The film is like his Q&A that was held after the promo screening. Riley is all over the place when asked a question, pretty much like his film, in which anything can happen on screen.
I LOVE BOOSTERS opens in theatres on Friday, May 22nd.
