- I LOVE BOOSTERS
- Starring: Keke Palmer, Demi Moore, Taylor Paige, Naomi Ackie
- Directed by: Boots Riley
- Rated: R
- Running time: 1 hr 53 mins
- NEON
Our score: 4 out of 5
Imagine if The Devil Wears Prada had more on its mind than simply getting the latest issue of a fashion magazine out the door.
Actually, that’s only part of what writer-director Boots Riley has to offer with his consistently surprising and gutsy second movie I Love Boosters.
Riley makes no secret of his communist sympathies, but his case is persuasive, and his presentation imaginative and often side splittingly funny. For those who haven’t kept up on their lingo, “boosters” shoplift clothes from high end retailers and sell them at steeply discounted rates elsewhere.
In Oakland, Corvette (Keke Palmer) leads a team of boosters called the Velvet Gang who specialize in hitting a chain of boutiques called Metro Designers, owned by Christie Smith (Demi Moore). Christie has long been a major designer as well as a corporate heavyweight.
Between heists Corvette has even entered contests that Christie has sponsored in order to design clothes instead of swipe them.
While coveting the possessions of others is certainly not right, Corvette and her pals Mariah (Taylor Paige) and Sade (Naomi Ackie) are selling merch that has a ridiculously high markup already. Their situation is also precarious because their home is an abandoned fried chicken restaurant.
Their popup sales allow their equally cash strapped friends to have decent clothes that aren’t available otherwise. As Corvette discovers, her original designs are now Metro Designer shelves, anyway. Apparently, Christie has decided to engage in a little larceny of her own.
At this point, the Velvet Gang decide to elevate their operation. They take gigs inside the stores, where the working conditions are absurdly draconian. The clerks have to wear Christie’s designs, and the costs come right out of their own paychecks.
Considering the cost of rent in Oakland, it’s no wonder that Violeta (Eliza González) is secretly organizing a union.
Conditions are also unbearable in China, where the clothes are made. A blasting process gives the workers asthma and cancer, so Jianhu (Poppy Hiu) and her cousin Li Pan (Alan Z) are sabotaging the company in their own way.
Riley combines all of these threads in an energetic and whimsical way, but developments that seem unrelated fall together nicely make far more sense on a second viewing.
Riley incorporates contemporary labor and economic issues, but he also tosses in a little science fiction and absurdist humor to make obvious but persuasive points. Many of the heists involve physical comedy and warped sets that recall M.C. Escher designs.
The warped angles that looked mesmerizing in books of his illustrations seem amusingly awkward when people try to walk in them. Luxury vistas don’t seem so glamorous if you can’t get from one side of the room to the other.
Riley uses old school techniques to make those images possible. There’s something charming about the use of stop-motion animation and miniatures instead of AI to pull off these illusions. For a story about people being denied their humanity, high-tech visual walls would’ve undermined the thesis. With its bright, gaudy colors, I Love Boosters proves that subtlety isn’t always a virtue.
Riley used to be part of the hip-hop combo The Coup, and his eclectic taste in music helps drive the film. The score by Tune-Yard sounds like a polka, but fits the physical humor perfectly. Similarly he fits The MC5 seamlessly with a chase scene and features some solid vocal tunes by Palmer.
Palmer carries the film easily, and Moore is terrific as a tycoon whose fortune is based on appropriation and slick talk. González is a riot as a chain vaping malcontent who says little until she’s aware it’s safe to reveal she’s the smartest person in the film.
More than a few people online have questioned Riley for making a movie that glorifies thieves. I would argue that he should be praised for delivering a film that delivers viewers far more entertainment and insight than the ticket price.
On a scale of zero to five, I Love Boosters receives ★★★★