(L to R) Naomi Ackie, Keke Palmer, Poppy Liu, and Taylour Paige in ‘I Love Boosters’. Photo: Neon.
Opening in theaters on May 22 is ‘I Love Boosters‘, the latest Boots Riley film. It stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Poppy Liu, and Taylour Paige, and is a trippy, hilarious ride.
“Welcome to a new world of style.”
Release Date: May 22, 2026
Run Time: 1 hr 45 min
Budget: $20,000,000
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Initial Thoughts
Keke Palmer in ‘I Love Boosters’. Photo: Neon.
‘Sorry To Bother You‘ is such a great film that it set expectations high for ‘I Love Boosters’. That, topped with the fact that this movie has an all-star cast, could have easily set itself up for failure. Instead, this movie is a surprise in the best way possible. Often laugh-out-loud hilarious, it still doesn’t shy away from dropping important life lessons and thought-provoking knowledge on unsuspecting viewers.
Story and Direction
Writer and director Boots Riley on the set of ‘I Love Boosters’. Photo: Neon.
Basing an entire movie centered around shoplifters is certainly bold, but it does not take long to realize that ‘I Love Boosters’ is about so much more than that. The main messaging is about corporate greed and how so many that are at the top are willing to look past what they are doing to those that are struggling at the bottom.
For those who have never heard of this concept of boosters, the movie does a great job of explaining it. While it loses itself every now and again, this film always finds its way back to reality. Even if it often features off-the-wall, zany, trippy, sci-fi elements.
Boots Riley has certainly solidified himself as having a unique vision, and the same remains true with this movie. Filled to the brim with bright colors and eye catching cinematopgraphy choices, to say this movie is bold and adventurous is an understatement.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, and Keke Palmer in ‘I Love Boosters’. Photo: Neon.
Keke Palmer as Corvette is absolutely incredible, to no one’s surprise. She is the heart of the film from the start, and the audience’s eyes and ears into this world. The friendships are all on different levels, offering a lot of different relationships that viewers can relate to. Everyone in this movie knows exactly what their role is, and they play it brilliantly. From the grounded performances to the over-the-top ones, all bring something unique to the story.
LaKeith Stanfield might have a more minimal role in this film, but every time he steps on the screen he is hilarious. Without saying too much about his character, there is something off about him in the best way possible. He adds something completely unexpected to the movie as a character that many viewers will continue to think about long after they have left the theater.
Final Thoughts
Writer and director Boots Riley on the set of ‘I Love Boosters’. Photo: Neon.
The lessons at the center of this story are important. All too often big corporations look down on the little guy and it is about time we fight back. Boots Riley finds a captivating, hilarious, as well as completely ridiculous way to bring this to the screen. With a stellar cast and brilliant script, ‘I Love Boosters’ is more than worth checking out.
‘I Love Boosters’ receives a score of 75 out of 100.
‘I Love Boosters’ opens in theaters on May 22nd.
What is the plot of ‘I Love Boosters’?
In a surreal version of the San Francisco Bay Area, a group of shoplifters, known as “boosters”, take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven after she steals their designs.
Who is in the cast of ‘I Love Boosters’?
‘I Love Boosters’ opens in theaters on May 22nd.
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