Boots Riley, Marx Brother
Boots Riley, a filmmaker and musician known for his radical politics and surreal style, is preparing for the release of his new film "I Love Boosters," which he hopes will bring his anti-capitalist themes to a mainstream audience. The movie, a genre-blending heist comedy inspired by his music, follows a group of shoplifters taking on a corrupt billionaire. Riley, a cult figure in Oakland's artistic community, aims to merge pop aesthetics with revolutionary messages on a larger scale.
- ▪"I Love Boosters" is a caper film inspired by a track from Riley's 2006 album "Pick a Bigger Weapon" and centers on a crew of shoplifting "boosters" led by a character named Corvette, played by Keke Palmer.
- ▪The film blends elements of screwball comedy, dystopia, sci-fi, and social satire, featuring anti-capitalist themes and a distinctive DIY visual style Riley calls "jankiness."
- ▪Riley gained acclaim with his 2018 film "Sorry to Bother You" and the 2023 Amazon series "I’m a Virgo," both of which combined absurdism with political commentary.
- ▪"I Love Boosters" is produced by Neon, marking its biggest in-house production to date, with a budget of twenty million dollars.
- ▪Riley was the frontman for the 1990s hip-hop group the Coup and was involved in the 2011 Occupy Oakland protests, grounding his art in activist traditions.
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Onward and Upward with the ArtsBoots Riley, Marx BrotherBoots Riley’s zany movies combine pop aesthetics with radical politics.By Emily NussbaumMay 17, 2026Riley, a critics’ darling, has big dreams for “I Love Boosters,” which he sees as his best chance to infiltrate the mainstream.Photograph by Bobby Doherty for The New YorkerSave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyOn a cool, drizzly day in Oakland, California, the film director Boots Riley often seemed less like a person than like a landmark—clockable from a distance. In part, this was because Riley, who is fifty-five, wore a gargantuan, lumpy tomato-red felt hat with a wide brim, like the cowboy hat worn by Quick Draw McGraw in the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
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