Movie Review: I Love Boosters

Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters is the most original and audacious movie of 2026. A cinematic shot of energy, color, and creativity with big ideas and an even bigger vision. It’s as unique, entertaining, thought-provoking, and fun as movies get.

Keke Palmer stars as Corvette, an aspiring fashion designer, down on her luck. She lives in an abandoned fried chicken restaurant and makes her money stealing clothes and selling them for a lower price. Her boosting focus is on the products and stores of fashion designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore). When Corvette discovers that one of her ideas has been stolen by Smith, she assembles a team of boosters to take down all of Christie’s stores.

I Love Boosters takes place in Oakland, California, a city near and dear to Riley’s heart. But this isn’t the Oakland that we know. Much like his 2018 debut film, Sorry to Bother You, Riley imagines Oakland in heightened reality. This Oakland is a city filled with bright colors, unique structures, and a big personality. Buildings are built on angles, retail stores are monochromatic and vivid, and high fashion is at its most bizarre. It’s a playful and stylized world that is awe-inspiring. It feels like Riley could tell hundreds of stories of the people of this city, and each one would be interesting. And all of this while tackling topics of capitalism, stolen art, sweatshop labor, artistic integrity, and the mundanity of retail.

This all might seem like a lot, but the setting and themes are only matched by Riley’s chaotic brilliance. He knows exactly what story he wants to tell and how to tell it. He delivers a movie with timely and important messages in the most creative ways. Riley and cinematographer Natasha Braier worked with Panavision to create custom lenses so that the big, bold colors pop, while giving the film an unconventional but cinematic look. The mix of this cinematography and the striking and zany production design helps make I Love Boosters one of the best-looking movies of the year.

The editing keeps the movie moving and is paired with the Tune-Yards’ offbeat and energetic percussion score that, at times, reminded me of Danny Elfman’s score for Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (there is actually quite a bit in this movie that reminded me of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, in the most complimentary way possible). Riley mixes real sets and actors with green screens, moving backdrops, miniatures, and stop-motion animation, blending it with biting comedy, social commentary, horror, and science fiction. It’s a chaotic mix of styles and genres, yet it all blends into a beautifully colored cinematic cocktail.

And at the heart of it all is the excellent ensemble, led by the spectacular Keke Palmer. She is joined by other great actresses in Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, and Eiza Gonzalez, all of whom give committed performances. This is a fun, wisecracking team with perfect chemistry that personifies female friendship. Their heists are equal parts hilarious and thrilling. Demi Moore has a ball as fashion guru Christie Smith, and the performances by Will Poulter and Lakieth Stanfield are brief but memorable.

To put it bluntly, I love I Love Boosters. It is an original, wild, anti-capitalist comedy that is made with passion and skill. It is one of the best movies I have seen in 2026.

TL;DR Review of I LOVE BOOSTERS

• As original and fun as movies get.
• One of the best-looking movies of the year. The colors, costumes, and sets pop off the screen.
• The strong themes are elevated by a perfectly balanced mix of comedy, crime, science fiction, and horror.
• Director Boots Riley’s direction is outstanding, and the cast is perfect.
• One of the best movies of 2026.

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