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I Love Boosters - Fashion, Class, and Creativity in Boots Riley´s Wildest Satire Yet
June 5, 2026
By Bessy ADUT
A Personal Connection
Having briefly met Boots Riley years ago at a WGA event, I was not surprised to see another film that combines intelligence, humor, and empathy for people often overlooked by society. Riley has become one of my favorite filmmakers because he consistently creates courageous, imaginative work that challenges audiences while remaining deeply entertaining.
His latest film, I Love Boosters, may be his most ambitious project yet. Written and directed by Riley and inspired by the song "I Love Boosters!" by his group, The Coup, the film blends absurd comedy, social commentary, science fiction, and fashion satire into a uniquely original cinematic experience.
What surprised me most, however, was how personally I connected with Corvette, the film's central character. Corvette is creative, ambitious, passionate, and determined to find a place in an industry that often seems closed to people like her. As a filmmaker who continues to navigate the challenges of finding opportunities, securing funding, and bringing creative projects to life, I understood her frustration immediately.
Her story is about fashion, but it is also about every artist who has ever looked at a world they love and wondered why the door feels so difficult to open.
That emotional connection became the foundation of my experience watching I Love Boosters. Beneath its outrageous humor and surreal imagery is a story about creativity, access, opportunity, and who gets to participate in industries often dominated by money, status, and privilege.
Story, Performances, and Characters
Set in the San Francisco Bay Area, the film follows Corvette and her friends, members of the Velvet Gang, who survive by shoplifting luxury fashion and reselling it at affordable prices. What begins as a quirky crime comedy quickly evolves into something much larger. Without revealing too much, Boots Riley takes audiences on an unpredictable journey through the worlds of fashion, wealth, creativity, labor, and power.
The ensemble cast is excellent across the board. Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, Eiza González, and the rest of the cast fully commit to Riley's unique vision. The chemistry between the performers feels natural and authentic, helping even the film's strangest moments remain emotionally grounded.
At the center of it all is Keke Palmer's outstanding performance as Corvette. Palmer brings humor, intelligence, vulnerability, and determination to the role. She possesses the same smart, funny, relatable energy that has made performers like Issa Rae resonate with audiences. Palmer makes Corvette feel authentic, even when the story ventures into its most outrageous territory.
Corvette was the character who resonated with me most. She is creative, ambitious, funny, imperfect, and constantly trying to survive in a system that keeps telling her she does not belong. What makes her journey so compelling is that she genuinely loves fashion. She is not simply chasing status or wealth. She appreciates creativity, design, and artistic expression. She wants the opportunity to participate in a world she admires but remains largely excluded from.
One of the film's most powerful ideas is its suggestion that creativity belongs to everyone, not just the wealthy. Too often, artistic industries are treated as exclusive spaces where access depends more on resources and connections than talent. Through Corvette, Riley argues that imagination, artistry, and vision exist everywhere, including among people society frequently overlooks.
I was also deeply invested in Jianhu's storyline. Through her character, the film expands beyond the American fashion industry and explores the global labor systems that support it. Her story made me angry because it serves as a reminder that behind luxury brands and designer labels are real people whose labor often goes unseen.
Demi Moore delivers another standout performance as Christie Smith. Moore has been captivating audiences for decades, and as someone who first admired her in Ghost, it was a pleasure to see her command the screen once again. Christie is talented, intelligent, and accomplished, yet frustratingly disconnected from the realities faced by the people whose labor supports the industry she represents.
The film's exploration of female friendship was another pleasant surprise. The women of the Velvet Gang argue, disagree, and occasionally drive each other crazy, but beneath the conflicts is a genuine sense of loyalty and sisterhood. Their friendships, struggles, and career aspirations give the film much of its emotional weight.
A Feast for the Eyes and Ears
Visually, I Love Boosters is stunning. Cinematographer Natasha Braier creates a vibrant, dreamlike world filled with bold colors and surreal imagery. Every frame feels alive with creativity.
During a recent interview for my podcast, Searching for Goodness, I spoke with Women in Media Executive Director Tema Staig about the importance of women cinematographers in the industry. Watching this film only reinforced my appreciation for the artistic contributions women continue to make behind the camera.
The music deserves praise as well. Tune-Yards' score perfectly complements the film's eccentric energy and unpredictable tone. The accompanying soundtrack project featuring Boots Riley and Keke Palmer further expands the film's artistic identity. Together, the music, cinematography, and production design create a fully realized world that feels unlike anything else currently in theaters.
Fashion, Labor, and the Cost of Luxury
What impressed me most, however, was the film's commentary on the fashion industry.
My feelings about fashion are complicated, much like the film itself. I appreciate fashion as an art form. I admire creativity, design, self-expression, and craftsmanship. What I struggle with is the industry surrounding it. The exploitation of workers, the environmental impact of fast fashion, the extreme pricing of luxury goods, and the elitism that often accompanies status brands can make it difficult to separate the art from the system.
What I appreciated about I Love Boosters is that it does not ask audiences to reject fashion. Instead, it asks us to examine the systems surrounding it. The film reminded me why fashion can be beautiful while simultaneously questioning the labor practices, inequality, and consumer culture that often exist behind the scenes.
Throughout the film, I found myself thinking about the workers behind the clothes we wear. Behind glamorous runway shows, luxury boutiques, and designer labels are often factory workers in countries such as China, India, and elsewhere, where labor conditions can be difficult, and wages remain low.
One of the film's most interesting ideas is its challenge to conventional definitions of theft. Society quickly labels the Velvet Gang as criminals, yet Riley repeatedly asks audiences to consider whether there are other forms of theft that receive far less scrutiny.
I found myself sympathizing more with the boosters than with many of the elite figures portrayed throughout the film. What makes the story compelling is that these characters are not stealing out of greed. They are navigating a system that often feels inaccessible to people without wealth, privilege, or connections. Even when working regular jobs and overtime, many individuals remain priced out of the lifestyles, opportunities, and industries they help support through their labor.
The film does not ask audiences to celebrate every choice the Velvet Gang makes. Instead, it asks us to understand why those choices are made in the first place and to question the systems that create such inequalities.
Final Thoughts
Despite its sharp critique of capitalism and inequality, I Love Boosters is never cynical. It remains hopeful. The rebellious spirit of its characters, the solidarity among friends, and the belief that ordinary people can create change left me feeling surprisingly optimistic by the end.
Some of my favorite scenes involved Corvette's awkward and hilarious encounters with Christie Smith, as well as the film's bizarre demonic love story, which was both funny and unexpectedly sad. Jianhu's story made me angry, while the friendships between the women and their determination to pursue their dreams gave the film much of its emotional resonance.
If I have one criticism, it is that some of the film's more surreal elements occasionally felt a little too bizarre, even for me. While I appreciated the absurdity, a few sequences involving the skinless characters did not resonate as strongly as the rest of the film.
Boots Riley is one of my favorite directors because he makes courageous films. His work is bold, imaginative, socially conscious, and unafraid to challenge audiences.
I Love Boosters is funny, strange, visually inventive, emotionally engaging, and filled with ideas worth discussing long after the credits roll. Most importantly, it reminds us that talent, imagination, and human worth cannot be measured by wealth, status, or a designer label.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Review developed with assistance from Astra A.I. Storyweaver
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