Eight years after Boots Riley’s bold debut film Sorry to Bother You, and two years after the underrated series I’m a Virgo, the former rapper turned iconoclastic filmmaker is back with his latest, I Love Boosters. And based on everything we’ve seen, it’s exactly what you would expect from Riley: vivid, weird, and eye-popping.
Starring Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, and Keke Palmer, the story follows a crew of female shoplifters — led by Corvette (Palmer) and her crew, the Velvet Gang — who survive by “boosting” luxury clothing from department stores. They decide to target the CEO of a fashion brand for stealing and profiting from Corvette’s ideas, sparking a rebellious movement that spins out of their control.
No surprise with the plotline, as Boots has always been a political filmmaker who combines social commentary with absurdist storytelling. I always recommend folks check out his hip-hop work as part of The Coup, all of which serves as a prelude to the filmmaker he is now.
Also in the cast are LaKeith Stanfield, Eiza González, Poppy Liu, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore, Jason Ritter, Kerris Dorsey, and Kara Young.
NEON has set a May 22nd release date for I Love Boosters, following its world premiere at SXSW earlier this month.
