Boots Riley reteams with LaKeith Stanfield and Keke Palmer in a satirical shoplifting comedy that has festival momentum
The filmmaker Boots Riley follows his acclaimed debut with a new, audacious project titled I Love Boosters. The film, which features a high-profile ensemble including Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore, recently screened at SXSW to positive reactions. Distributor NEON has released an official trailer ahead of the movie’s theatrical launch on May 22, giving audiences an early look at Riley’s blend of political satire and genre play.
The trailer frames the picture as a stylish, tongue-in-cheek heist set against the world of high fashion. The premise centers on a group of professionals described as shoplifters who target a ruthless fashion figure; the promotional line even dryly calls it, “It’s like community service.” That description signals the film’s comic register and its underlying critique of consumer culture, an approach that echoes Riley’s appetite for sharp social commentary demonstrated in his earlier work Sorry to Bother You.
The new footage emphasizes tone over plot, balancing choreographed theft sequences with moments of social lampooning. Visually, I Love Boosters leans into glossy production design that contrasts the glamour of the industry with the nimble, almost performative crimes of the central crew. Riley’s direction appears to fuse satire with kinetic setpieces: the trailer suggests a brisk first two acts where ideas and jokes land cleanly before the film shifts toward more conventional action beats, a pacing choice noted by critics who have seen festival screenings.
Early reviews point to the film’s political appetite. One critic praised the movie as a kind of parody of dialectical materialism, using comic heist mechanics to undercut the logic of fast fashion and speculative economies. The same coverage observed that while Riley sustains lively satirical energy for much of the run time, the finale leans into action-comedy tropes, a turn that some viewers may find less conceptually ambitious than the opening acts. Still, the consensus acknowledges Riley’s continued appetite to interrogate capitalism via bold, genre-aware filmmaking.
I Love Boosters assembles a varied cast whose star power amplifies the film’s reach. Keke Palmer and LaKeith Stanfield are central, supported by notable performers such as Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore. Riley — known as a musician, activist, and filmmaker — blends humor with pointed social observations, and the ensemble’s chemistry is positioned as a selling point in the trailer. The marketing also leans into the film’s tonal mix: equal parts comedy, critique, and caper.
Beyond its SXSW reception, I Love Boosters figures prominently on the festival circuit. The film was selected as the closing night feature for the 23rd Calgary Underground Film Festival, which runs from April 16-26, 2026, where it will screen as the event’s International Premiere. CUFF’s programming pairs Riley’s satirical caper with an eclectic lineup that celebrates emerging voices and genre fare; the festival also opened with the Canadian premiere of Damian McCarthy’s Hokum, underscoring CUFF’s appetite for boundary-pushing cinema. Theatrically, the picture is slated to arrive on May 22, positioning the trailer as a key tool to build mainstream awareness in the weeks leading up to release.
I Love Boosters represents a continuation of Boots Riley’s effort to merge entertainment with social critique. By staging a heist inside the fashion industry, the film uses comedic caper mechanics to interrogate consumption, labor, and status — themes that resonate across festival circuits and commercial release strategies alike. With a prominent cast, a distributor in NEON, and festival support from events like SXSW and the Calgary Underground Film Festival, Riley’s return is being framed as both a crowd-pleasing diversion and a provocation that asks viewers to laugh while thinking critically about the systems being lampooned. Watch the trailer to see how the film balances those ambitions and what tone Riley chooses for his next cultural target.