With instant cult classic (or colt classic...) Sorry To Bother You and surreal 13ft high schooler series I'm A Virgo, it would be fair to say that writer-director Boots Riley has cornered the market on semi-fantastical explorations of class and race in contemporary America. As such, we are very excited for Boots' latest, I Love Boosters, a hyper-stylised satire in which Keke Palmer leads The Velvet Gang, a shoplifting ring with their sights set on fashion maven Demi Moore's wares. Yes, it's Keke Palmer vs Demi Moore — and you can check out the trailer below for a taste of what's to come;
Well if we ever wondered what a sort-of altruistic, blue collar, Boots Riley take on The Bling Ring might look like, then we have our answer: I Love Boosters. “I shop here a lot, and I feel like I should have it all,” Palmer's ringleader Corvette says when a green-haired Will Poulter asks why she wants to work in a designer clothes store. “I just want to take it all home, heat it up and shoot it out my eyes. I just feel like, ‘Give it to me. It’s mine anyway.'” Cut to Corvette — flanked by supremely well-dressed partners in crime Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, and Naomi Ackie — doing exactly that, pilfering high-end clobber to sell at a discount ("I call it 'Triple F' — Fashion Forward Philanthropy" explains Paige.) The wrinkle then? Their biggest target, a Moore-faced fashion mogul, has no time for "low-class urban bitches", and for her that means The Velvet Gang. Oh, and there's a bit where the gang seemingly turn into puppets... so it's a Boots Riley movie all over.
With a supporting cast including LaKeith Stanfield, Jason Ritter, and a must-be-seen-to-be-believed Don Cheadle, a delicious revenge thread thrumming through Corvette's feud with Moore's mogul, and this trailer teasing another subversive, surreal cinematic experience, all early signs are pointing towards another Boots Riley banger. American audiences can let us know if they love I Love Boosters when it hits US cinemas on 22 May, and we'll chime in just as soon as the movie nabs itself a UK release date. Watch this space!