As a weird person myself, I’m always looking for films that can’t be placed in boxes. They contain elements, themes, and offbeat characters that many viewers would be put off by. And one of the best ones I’ve seen in quite awhile is Boots Riley’s deliriously entertaining I Love Boosters.
Buy I Love BoostersCorvette (Keke Palmer), Sade (Naomi Ackie), and Mariah (Taylor Paige) make up The Velvet Gang. They are “boosters,” who are Oakland shoplifters that steal clothes to make ends meet from a fashion chain owned by ruthless designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore). Corvette, the leader, is an aspiring designer who feels that the world is not quite ready for her unorthodox creations, so she is timid about it. However, when she finds out Christie stole her ideas, it’s payback time. With the help of factory-worker Jianhu (Ponny Liu), who has her own axe to grind with Christie, and former co-worker Violeta (Eiza Gonzalez), who also encourages them to fight against the poor working conditions, they set out to ruin Christie and rile up the fashion world.
The film, with its gargantuan color palettes, gnarly costumes, delightfully bizarre set pieces, and incredibly out-there characters (including LaKeith Stanfield as a pinky-ring-wearing demon, Will Poulter as a kooky manager, and Don Cheadle as an off-kilter motivational speaker), has so many facets to it. Yes, it is crazy (in all the best ways), but it really means something. It’s a madcap adventure into female friendship, body horror, creepy sex, the absurdity of fashion tyranny, the plight of the working class, and diversity. It’s John Waters meets Norma Rae and Set it Off, but Riley adds his own unique flavor to the entire endeavor.
I really loved the film from beginning to end. I got invested in this world of anti-capitalist satire and defiance. It really makes me want to see Riley’s previous film, Sorry to Bother You (also starring Stanfield), and everything else that his inventive mind comes up with.
Special features include The Making of I Love Boosters; blooper reel; feature commentary by Riley; collection of interviews with Riley, Stanfeld, Palmer, Moore, and more; gallery; and teaser/trailer/tv spots.
