I Love Boosters 2026 Movie Review
While it was also very eccentric, unapologetically progressive, and not for all tastes, I thought Boots Riley’s previous film “Sorry to Bother You” was an incredibly well-made and unique breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, I found his follow-up “I Love Boosters” to fall well short in comparison. It’s certainly not a bad film, and has lots of maximalist visual style and intellectually interesting and engaging concepts, but it definitely doesn’t feel as clever and incisive as Riley’s previous film.
“I Love Boosters” centers around a group of female shoplifters who steal clothes from stores so they can resell them at much lower prices. I won’t say anything more, but suffice it to say, plenty of hijinks ensue. The film’s artistic style, political themes, and tendencies for manic and zany material are fairly similar to “Sorry to Bother You,” but the satire doesn’t feel as unique or profound this time around. The Booster characters aren’t particularly well-developed either, especially compared to Cassius (the protagonist whose character was a telemarketer) in “Sorry to Bother You.” That may partially be explained by the fact that this film is more of an ensemble piece and not a film driven by one protagonist, but you still could expect stronger character development given Riley’s versatility as a writer.
The characters are understood more for how they relate to the movie’s socio-political themes, which is good to a point, but they could have been more engaging as characters as well. The heist scenes are often fun and clever, but they do get repetitive, as does the film’s musical score. There is fun to be had–to an extent–with all the audacious swings Riley takes here, but it’s ultimately a bit of a mixed bag and may not be completely satisfying in the end. 6/10.
