Couture, Chaos, and Kleptomania: Demi Moore Headlines Boots Riley’s Star-Studded Heist

Olivia Bennett, 12/5/2025Boots Riley’s "I Love Boosters" storms SXSW 2026 with a glittering heist: couture, chaos, and a killer cast led by Demi Moore. Expect runway rebellion and satire that dazzles—this is Hollywood larceny at its most stylishly subversive.

Stepping into Riley’s cinematic playground isn’t just attending a film; it’s more akin to being whisked onto an electrified runway with the spotlights set to full blast. "I Love Boosters," set to open the festival, isn’t just a movie—it’s a full-throttle spectacle with equal parts mischief and style, right on cue for a year that’s already jammed with cultural calculus. These are shoplifters, but not the kind who’ll slink past security in yesterday’s hoodie. No, Riley’s crew moves with the bravado of runway models (who’ve clearly been watching too much "Le Cercle Rouge" and not enough department store training videos), zinging between slapstick and razor-sharp satire.

The gist? A crew of professional boosters train their sights on a fashion mogul of the most unforgiving stripe, setting up a cat-and-mouse caper that’s less about criminal enterprise and more about a high-fashion insurgency. It’s easy to imagine: couture heists stitched together with Riley’s signature surrealism, a bit like if the ghosts of Dada past staged a rebellion inside Anna Wintour’s closet.

And then there’s the cast. Frankly, it’s the kind of lineup that makes a talent agent’s heart skip a beat—Demi Moore taking the lead, an on-screen renaissance unfolding after years of lurking in the industry’s shadow (though, who hasn’t in this business?). She’s flanked by a jaw-dropping mix of heavyweights: Keke Palmer dazzling with comedic timing, Naomi Ackie offering bite, Taylour Paige radiating grounded energy, with Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, and Don Cheadle fleshing out a cast that crackles with indie grit and red-carpet polish. Together, it’s less casting call, more lightning in a bottle.

It’s difficult to ignore the sense that, just as film and fashion circle each other—sometimes in a clumsy waltz, sometimes in a knife fight—Riley’s film wants to do both, relentlessly. The director, known for pulling narrative threads that unravel into delightful chaos ("Sorry to Bother You," anyone?), proves yet again that subversion wears many hats, and at least one of them is feathered. If "I Love Boosters" follows suit, expect the plot’s glamour to slice as deep as its social critique. Call it a Robin Hood fable, but this one’s staged in a mall, dripping in irony and sequins.

Festival programmer Claudette Godfrey couldn’t bottle her anticipation. Her announcement brimmed with phrases that are half war cry, half love letter to cinephiles craving their next jolt of originality—the kind of effusiveness that only comes after a sleepless week binge-watching screeners. For all the pageantry of SXSW’s opening night, there’s a sense that Riley’s "Velvet Gang" plans to skip the procession and head straight for the barricades. (Why bother with a step-and-repeat when you can just steal the backdrop?)

One can’t help but note—2026 marks a bit of a shakeup in the SXSW formula itself. All sections run parallel now, fusing film, tech, comedy, and music into a roiling potluck buffet. It almost makes sense that "I Love Boosters" leads this new era—it’s as if the festival and the film decided, in some chaotic huddle, to throw out the script and improvise in sequined gloves.

Looking back on Riley's run, one thing’s clear: predictability doesn’t live here. At Sundance, "Sorry to Bother You" rewired expectations, and by 2023, "I’m a Virgo" was dazzling SXSW with its oddball superhero mythos. Now, Riley unspools yet another manifesto, unafraid to steal glances, wardrobes, and the occasional industry taboo.

More than just a caper, "I Love Boosters" feels hotwired to the moment, wearing its social commentary like a designer label turned inside out. High fashion as armor, rebellion as pageantry—a plot stitched with nerves and glam. In 2025, with pop culture morphing faster than this season’s trends, the timing couldn’t be sharper.

So when March 12 arrives, don’t expect a standard gala opening. Look instead for sparks on the carpet, maybe a little chaos dusted with glitter, and the intoxicating sense that, yes, sometimes all it takes is a single audacious film to set a whole festival—and perhaps a few outdated traditions—on fire. Just watch your pockets.

Imagine the roar of a crowd, a velvet rope shimmering under neon, and a sense that anything—absolutely anything—could tumble out from behind a curtain. That’s the fever pitch building ahead of SXSW 2026, where Boots Riley is poised to give the festival the kind of jolt only he can muster.Stepping into Riley’s cinematic playground isn’t just attending a film; it’s more akin to being whisked onto an electrified runway with the spotlights set to full blast. "I Love Boosters," set to open the festival, isn’t just a movie—it’s a full-throttle spectacle with equal parts mischief and style, right on cue for a year that’s already jammed with cultural calculus. These are shoplifters, but not the kind who’ll slink past security in yesterday’s hoodie. No, Riley’s crew moves with the bravado of runway models (who’ve clearly been watching too much "Le Cercle Rouge" and not enough department store training videos), zinging between slapstick and razor-sharp satire.The gist? A crew of professional boosters train their sights on a fashion mogul of the most unforgiving stripe, setting up a cat-and-mouse caper that’s less about criminal enterprise and more about a high-fashion insurgency. It’s easy to imagine: couture heists stitched together with Riley’s signature surrealism, a bit like if the ghosts of Dada past staged a rebellion inside Anna Wintour’s closet.And then there’s the cast. Frankly, it’s the kind of lineup that makes a talent agent’s heart skip a beat—Demi Moore taking the lead, an on-screen renaissance unfolding after years of lurking in the industry’s shadow (though, who hasn’t in this business?). She’s flanked by a jaw-dropping mix of heavyweights: Keke Palmer dazzling with comedic timing, Naomi Ackie offering bite, Taylour Paige radiating grounded energy, with Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, and Don Cheadle fleshing out a cast that crackles with indie grit and red-carpet polish. Together, it’s less casting call, more lightning in a bottle.It’s difficult to ignore the sense that, just as film and fashion circle each other—sometimes in a clumsy waltz, sometimes in a knife fight—Riley’s film wants to do both, relentlessly. The director, known for pulling narrative threads that unravel into delightful chaos ("Sorry to Bother You," anyone?), proves yet again that subversion wears many hats, and at least one of them is feathered. If "I Love Boosters" follows suit, expect the plot’s glamour to slice as deep as its social critique. Call it a Robin Hood fable, but this one’s staged in a mall, dripping in irony and sequins.Festival programmer Claudette Godfrey couldn’t bottle her anticipation. Her announcement brimmed with phrases that are half war cry, half love letter to cinephiles craving their next jolt of originality—the kind of effusiveness that only comes after a sleepless week binge-watching screeners. For all the pageantry of SXSW’s opening night, there’s a sense that Riley’s "Velvet Gang" plans to skip the procession and head straight for the barricades. (Why bother with a step-and-repeat when you can just steal the backdrop?)One can’t help but note—2026 marks a bit of a shakeup in the SXSW formula itself. All sections run parallel now, fusing film, tech, comedy, and music into a roiling potluck buffet. It almost makes sense that "I Love Boosters" leads this new era—it’s as if the festival and the film decided, in some chaotic huddle, to throw out the script and improvise in sequined gloves.Looking back on Riley's run, one thing’s clear: predictability doesn’t live here. At Sundance, "Sorry to Bother You" rewired expectations, and by 2023, "I’m a Virgo" was dazzling SXSW with its oddball superhero mythos. Now, Riley unspools yet another manifesto, unafraid to steal glances, wardrobes, and the occasional industry taboo.More than just a caper, "I Love Boosters" feels hotwired to the moment, wearing its social commentary like a designer label turned inside out. High fashion as armor, rebellion as pageantry—a plot stitched with nerves and glam. In 2025, with pop culture morphing faster than this season’s trends, the timing couldn’t be sharper.So when March 12 arrives, don’t expect a standard gala opening. Look instead for sparks on the carpet, maybe a little chaos dusted with glitter, and the intoxicating sense that, yes, sometimes all it takes is a single audacious film to set a whole festival—and perhaps a few outdated traditions—on fire. Just watch your pockets.