Demi Moore and Keke Palmer Deliver 2026’s Most Mind-Bending Movie

There are weird movies, and then there’s I Love Boosters. If you’ve seen anything Boots Riley has done before, you probably have some idea of what’s coming, but this new one makes Sorry to Bother You look almost conventional by comparison.

The Basics—And They’re Odd Enough

I Love Boosters just hit cinemas last week. Written and directed by Boots Riley (the creative mind behind 2018’s Sorry to Bother You and 2023’s I’m a Virgo), it ropes in quite a cast: Demi Moore, Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Eiza González, Poppy Liu, Taylour Paige, and Will Poulter. Not your average star line-up for what is, frankly, a completely bonkers premise.

What Is It Actually About?

The gist: a group of expert shoplifters—‘boosters’ if you want the lingo—is trying to make a name for themselves in the less-than-glamorous world of professional thieving. But the point isn't just nicking things for a laugh; they’re doing it to look after their own communities. That bit probably wouldn’t surprise anyone who’s seen Riley’s earlier stuff, but the way it all plays out pushes the envelope in terms of sheer weirdness.

When Simple Isn’t on the Menu

Describing what makes I Love Boosters so utterly bizarre is a challenge, considering most of the best bits have to be seen, not explained. But here’s a quick sketch of what you’re in for:

• Shoplifters bouncing between realism and utter absurdity
• Moments of old-school stop-motion and towering puppets
• Cars literally motoring up escalators
• Bits that feel like they’ve wandered in from a Looney Tunes cartoon, e.g. Keke Palmer’s feet spinning out of control as she sprints up a slope
• A film so densely packed with oddball practical effects and hand-crafted tiny sets, it makes you wonder if CGI was banned on set

If you’re into films that feel like five genres on a sugar high but somehow work, this is your sort of chaos.

Casting That Just Gets It

None of these wild swings would land if the cast weren’t entirely on board, but everyone throws themselves into Riley’s world as if it’s the most normal place to be. The crew of boosters is brilliantly cast—every chemistry test must have just been them trying not to crack up during some utterly unreal scene. It would clash spectacularly in less capable hands, but if there’s one consistent bit, it’s the cast making the absurd feel natural.

Weird, Yes—But With Purpose

Now, underneath the total mayhem, Riley’s still doing what he does best: turning worker solidarity into cinema. There’s a properly pro-worker, pro-community streak running through the whole mess, and it comes across just as sharply as the visual chaos. All the strange bits, the practical effects, those deliberately retro movie tricks—matte paintings, pint-sized models that belong in an Eighties sci-fi flick—end up serving something genuinely heartfelt.

'Despite all the bonkers stuff flying about, I Love Boosters has a strong heart and a message that lands just as hard now as ever.'