I Love Boosters (2026) – Review

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“I Love Boosters” Film Details

• Director(s): Boots Riley
• Writer(s): Boots Riley
• Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 45 Minutes
• Public Release Date (In Theaters): May 22, 2026
• Genre(s): Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
• Content Rating: Rated R
• Primary Language: English | Non-English (Mandarin)
• Images © of / Courtesy Of Neon

Movie Summary

While Corvette is a designer in her own right, it isn’t paying the bills. What is, is boosting, almost exclusively from one fashion brand, Metro Designs, and reselling the clothes at a deep discount, on the market. Christie Smith, the head of the fashion house, doesn’t take well to this and targets Corvette and her group in any criticism she has regarding low sales, amongst other things.

This, for some time, is fine with Corvette; it is how the local economy works. But when Corvette discovers Christie stole one of her designs? She finds herself not just stealing from the system, but now willingly joining those actively trying to break it down and reform it.

Cast and Characters

Corvette (Keke Palmer)

• Character Summary: Corvette is an inspiring designer who doesn’t have much. She steals and sells clothes for a living, she is squatting in an abandoned chicken fast food restaurant, but she does have a group of friends who seemingly don’t just interact with her to make money or due to a trauma bond.

Christie (Demi Moore)

• Character Summary: Christie is a major player in the fashion game, known for being bold, highly intelligent, but also exploitative, as anyone who has made it to her level is.

Jianhu (Poppy Liu)

• Character Summary: Jianhu works in the Chinese factory of one of Christie’s clothing workshops, and she is fighting for better conditions.

Sade (Naomi Ackie)

• Character Summary: Sade is Corvette’s friend who has children, and while she is the thinker and realist of the friend group, she is also falling for a pyramid scheme.

Various (Kara Young)

• Character Summary: The main character, Kara Young, plays is one of many who push against social safety net laws and programs like minimum wage, rent control, and notable social services that deal with money.

Mr. Say All The Right Things (LaKeith Stanfield)

• Character Summary: A beautiful man who is like a taller, modern, almost vampire version of Prince.

Mariah (Taylour Paige)

• Character Summary: Mariah is Corvette’s friend who is in a similar boat to her, with not many attachments. But she is far more upbeat than Corvette, which makes her fun to be around.

Violeta (Eiza González)

• Character Summary: Violeta works at one of Christie’s stores and is a union organizer, but her issues with Christie are very different than what Jianhu is experiencing. However, they want similar things in terms of better working conditions.

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

The Visuals [86/100]

While there have been quite a few Black, mostly male, directors who have come up in the last couple of years as the next generation, Boots Riley is a standout. On top of the messaging, we’ll get to next, he is also one of the most notable visually, without having a huge budget or the use of horror elements. Everything is bold, bright, colorful, and memorable. It’s the type of work that makes you want to look up Shirley Kurata, his costume designer, and start going through IMDB to see who was behind this, rather than just credit Riley’s vision.

I’d add in, between creating what feels like Scooby Doo comical moments with Keke Palmer, or Riley continuing to push, he should eventually make an animated feature, there is just so much to look at, experience, admire, and want more of.  

The Messaging You Can Get [85/100]

On its own, but especially if you watch interviews before or after watching the film, you can come to realize that I Love Boosters is far more than just Riley doing another film about capitalism. Through the character Jianhu, you are reminded how major fashion houses are still underpaying their labor to not keep prices low for consumers, but to increase their profits. Sade, Corvette’s best friend, reminds you that, throughout this journey, it can’t just be about revenge. Life doesn’t stop just because you’ve made a mortal enemy.

And it honestly goes on and on. There is the use of our one of our favorites actresses, Kara Young, to present how the media tries to push a narrative against rent control, minimum wage and more, and make it seem like a bad thing for the population. Christie Smith is shown to be a brilliant woman, a MIT drop out, yet her brilliance is completely disassociated from her humanity. Showing that, she isn’t someone to look up to. Yes, on her own, she is brilliant, but it is also noted she had a parent who was a successful plastic surgeon and another a scientist. Which isn’t to discredit her as a individual, but it does make it clear she had a paved road due to her privilege.

Again, there is just so much spoken on here, and not everything is serious. LaKeith Stanfield plays a character who is seductive, but seemingly will suck the soul out of any woman he is with – despite initially seemingly like he has the best intentions. Thus leading to Riley tapping into dating dynamics a bit. Then there is Mariah showing us that while light skinned people have privilege, if they still read as Black, they will get followed in a store just as much as someone of a darker tone.

It all isn’t so packed in that it can feel like it is scene by scene trying to be preachy. However, it is made clear that you can make something visually alluring and not make it completely superficial.

The Humor [81/100]

Boots Riley knows how to write humorous situations. Whether it is in through some of the getups Corvette and her crew are in, being completely unserious about serious topics, like how he shows the false narrative around light skinned privilege, or just through dialogue. I won’t say there were quotable lines, or a whole lot of scenes which replay in your head over and over. But there will be moments while watching where you will audibly laugh, shake your head, and if so lucky to be at a screening with people good at talking in a movie? Oh, you will get top-level commentary.

On The Fence

Violeta Being Really Deep About What She Knows – But Needing Someone To Break IT Down Real Quick [72/100]

For most of I Love Boosters, it keeps things light enough for people who want to laugh and have a good time, but hints and nods at deeper themes for those who like movies to make you think and expose you to something. Violeta messes up that balance. Mainly in one scene when she overexplains how a device Jianhu has.

In that scene, which quickly gets summarized after Violeta’s dissertation, it’s easy for the film to lose you. Yes, it does boost Violeta, showcases how Black, Hispanic/Latin, and Asian people should and need to work together and pool resources and knowledge. But, it also completely messes with the flow of the movie and feels like a record scratch in the pacing.

Overall

Our Rating (81/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)

I Love Boosters further solidifies Boots Riley’s brand of addressing serious topics that affect Black people but still present life in color, showing the value of community, and pushing nuance for topics that aren’t black and white.

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