The cunning satirist behind 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You,” filmmaker Boots Riley isn’t exactly known for his subtlety. The first full-length trailer for “I Love Boosters” sees him getting even louder with a chaotic, anti-capitalist misadventure that earned high praise out of SXSW.
Following a teaser that framed “boosting” (i.e., stealing and reselling designer clothes) as a kind of community service, the new look at Riley’s long-awaited sophomore effort features a stacked ensemble led by a fiery Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, and Taylour Paige — as a trio of amateur shoplifters taking revenge on an elite fashion empire.
In theaters May 22 from Neon, the upcoming release also teams the writer/director with Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore. Following in the footsteps of his fantasy-coded first film, Riley’s latest unfolds in a heightened, off-kilter version of the Bay Area.
As IndieWire’s Ryan Lattanzio wrote in his review, the movie plays like “the first socialist stoner movie of the Trump era,” blending “high-concept sci-fi, gross-out sexual body horror, and Demi Moore as a tyrannical, late-capitalist fashionista” into one deliberately overwhelming package.
“I Love Boosters” centers on Corvette (Palmer) and her criminal crew, who justify their theft as a means of redistributing wealth when Moore’s character steals one of Corvette’s designs. The trailer highlights Riley’s signature blend of absurdism and agitprop aesthetic, but it’s anchored by a band of performers who seem not only fully locked into the movie’s wavelength but determined to hit their mark.
Palmer, in particular, looks poised to carry the film’s heart amid the madness, grounding a story that frequently threatens to spin out of control. Even so, Riley’s commitment to big, messy ideas remains the main draw, continuing a creative streak that has positioned him as one of the few contemporary filmmakers working comfortably at the intersection of genre spectacle and explicitly political American filmmaking.
From Neon, “I Love Boosters” premiered at SXSW before embarking on an ongoing college tour with Riley in attendance. It’s in theaters Friday, May 22. Watch the trailer below.