Boots Riley's 'I Love Boosters' opens May 22

Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters” opened in U.S. theaters on May 22 through NEON, according to the distributor’s film page and the movie’s official ticketing site. The release marks Riley’s first feature since 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You,” and puts his new fashion-world crime comedy into the Memorial Day weekend frame. NEON’s synopsis describes the film as following “a crew of professional shoplifters” who target “a cutthroat fashion maven.” ### What is actually opening, and who made it? NEON lists “I Love Boosters” as directed by Boots Riley and starring Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, LaKeith Stanfield, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle and Demi Moore. The distributor’s synopsis says the story centers on professional shoplifters taking aim at a fashion power player, framing the movie as a crime comedy with Riley’s familiar anti-capitalist bent. (neonrated.com) The official film site says the movie is “Only in theaters May 22,” and posted ticketed screenings for May 23 through May 28 in Washington, D.C., including Regal Gallery Place, Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, Landmark Atlantic Plumbing and several AMC and Alamo locations in the area. That listing indicates the release moved beyond a one-night launch into a standard theatrical booking pattern for opening weekend. ### Why are reviews focusing on politics and fashion? (neonrated.com) RogerEbert.com said the film is “a wickedly clever skewering of the moral rot at the center of the fashion industry,” describing Riley’s approach as a surreal comedy aimed at capitalism and consumer culture. The review says Keke Palmer plays Corvette, who leads a group of shoplifters targeting the brand Metro and its designer Christie Smith, played by Demi Moore. (iloveboosters.film) IndieWire described the film as a “socialist stoner movie” and said NEON would release it in theaters beginning Friday, May 22. The outlet said Riley set the story in a world of high-concept science fiction, body horror and late-capitalist fashion excess, extending themes that also ran through “Sorry to Bother You” and “I’m a Virgo.” ### What are critics saying about Keke Palmer’s role? (rogerebert.com) RogerEbert.com said Palmer helps hold Riley’s vision together when the film threatens to burst apart, and identified her character as the center of the story’s push and pull between survival, style and exploitation. The review says Corvette squats in an abandoned chicken restaurant, resells stolen clothing at a discount and tries to move through an industry she also wants to dismantle. (indiewire.com) ABC Audio, in a syndicated interview carried by local outlets, quoted Riley calling Palmer “such a bright, shining beacon” as he discussed making the film. That interview also described “I Love Boosters” as now in theaters. ### How does this fit into Riley’s career? March 12 was the date “I Love Boosters” premiered at SXSW, where RogerEbert.com previewed it as Riley’s long-awaited second feature. (rogerebert.com) The film follows an eight-year gap between “Sorry to Bother You” and Riley’s return to feature directing, though he also released the Prime Video series “I’m a Virgo” in that span. IndieWire reported in 2024 that NEON had set the project with a cast including Palmer, Ackie, Stanfield and Moore, and later coverage around the trailer described the film as a politically charged, genre-bending story about shoplifters and high-end fashion. (licountry.com) ### Where can people find it next? May 23 and May 24 showtimes were already live on the official site one day after release, with multiple screenings listed across Washington-area theaters. (rogerebert.com) NEON’s official page and the movie’s ticketing site remain the main sources for current bookings as the film expands through its opening weekend. (neonrated.com) (indiewire.com)