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I Love Boosters is an unceasingly surprising and fun film following “The Velvet Gang,” a group of boosters in an alternate version of Oakland, California. This is the second film by Boots Riley, who has played a prominent role in art over the past few decades, as the lead vocalist of hip-hop group The Coup and director of the award-nominated film Sorry To Bother You. His projects are deeply infused with leftist social commentary, and he is a vocal advocate for racial justice, Palestinian liberation, and labor rights.
This film stars Keke Palmer as Corvette, a fashion designer and member of The Velvet Gang, along with her two friends Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige). With the goal of redistributing high-fashion designs at a lower price, these three women target the fashion chain Metro Designers. The chain is owned by Christie Smith (Demi Moore), a designer of increasingly poor character, which is steadily revealed throughout the film. The group of women teams up with Jianhu (Poppy Liu), who has transported herself from a Metro Designers factory in China to advocate for her fellow workers' rights by stealing the clothes with a mysterious device. It’s difficult to explain the plot thoroughly without giving anything away, but the film continues to expand in creative and unexpected ways, making it an engaging watch from start to finish.
Energetic from the jump, I Love Boosters only delves deeper into the absurd as the film goes on. The plot becomes more complex with the introduction of science fiction elements, the editing is more chaotic, and the costumes become more maximalist and eye-catching. Designed by Shirley Kurata, the costumes were a definite highlight. For a film that explores the world of fashion and excess, both contributed to world-building in an interesting and creative way. Palmer, Ackie, and Taylour’s performances were also a highlight of the film; they had strong and endearing chemistry as a friend group.
There has been some criticism of the sound design; at times, the dialogue can be difficult to make out over the soundtrack and other background noises. I, for one, would have benefited from subtitles, as some of the scenes that introduced crucial exposition were hard to make out. Because the film is so fast-paced, this flaw was especially frustrating at times. The third act of the film, and its weakest part, made this most notable. It was slightly hard to follow, with all the threads coming together in a final action sequence that wrapped things up a little too quickly. While the large cast and the dense yet only briefly explained symbolic references to Marxist theory could have completely convoluted the plot beyond enjoyment, I found that Riley was able to tie these different threads together well by the end.
Overall, I Love Boosters is an entertaining yet poignant watch. It isn’t subtle in its anti-capitalist messaging, but it is refreshing to see a film that criticizes these powers without hiding beneath vague layers of metaphor. On top of that, it is a creative depiction of the culture of exploitation and excess that we live in, while still managing to be a touching film about friendship, community, and finding meaning and inspiration in all of it. There are endless details to pick up on, and I’m excited to rewatch and discover more.
