I Love Boosters review
By Joel Humphries · Watched 05.24.26
★★★½ 3.5 / 5
Spoiler-free review
Naomi Ackie and Keke Palmer carry I Love Boosters on such effortless comic chemistry that I could have watched them steal things for another two hours. Poppy Liu and Taylour Paige complete a lively crew, while LaKeith Stanfield arrives looking like Prince playing some sort of deeply unserious vampire. This is Boots Riley, so the anti-capitalist argument comes through absurdism shouted directly into the audience rather than ideological subtlety. The actual logic of mass shoplifting as labor politics collapses almost immediately, and the narrative never fully coheres. The charisma and committed nonsense still make the vibe considerably more fun than the theory.
Full review — contains spoilers
I was pretty much only here for Naomi Ackie and Keke Palmer, and honestly? They carried this thing on pure charisma. They’re both incredibly funny, effortlessly watchable, and have the kind of chemistry where I could’ve sat through another two hours of them getting into nonsense. It almost felt like the movie underused them. Half the time they’re just being charming and stealing stuff, and that alone is entertaining enough.
The whole crew had good chemistry too, especially with Poppy Liu and Taylour Paige. Meanwhile LaKeith Stanfield shows up looking like Prince playing some kind of pussy vampire. Just deeply unserious Boots Riley nonsense. Which, to be clear, I’m completely on board for. If you go to a Boots Riley movie expecting ideological subtlety, that’s your own fault. What you’re getting is anti-capitalist absurdism blasted directly into your face through comedy, and the movie commits to the bit.
I just don’t think the actual narrative fully comes together. The movie wants you to root for this boosting operation robbing a fashion mogul blind because she’s an exploitative capitalist exploiting factory workers. Fine. I get the broad point. But the logic gets shaky if you think about it for more than thirty seconds. The stores still have employees. The factories still have workers. “Everyone stealing everything” is not exactly a coherent labor solution. But whatever. That's just the Boots Riley of it all. Sorry To Bother You was the same, albeit a better film. Absurdist capitalist critique is just his vibe.
And honestly? The vibe worked for me. This was a lot of fun. I’ll watch it again eventually, but I’m not exactly dying to revisit it. That's what keeps it 3 1/2 instead of four for me.