Filmmakers love attacking capitalism on the big screen.
Think "The Menu," "Mickey 17, "Triangle of Sadness," and, most shockingly, the recent flop "Animal Farm." Even "The Devil Wears Prada 2" takes a few shots at income inequality. (All the while Hoovering up cash from the masses).
Capitalism is certainly ripe for satire, as is any imperfect system, but the people belaboring the point have benefited nicely from the system. The hypocrisy, alas, is often lost on them, especially when they're publicly complaining about not making enough money from a given film.
We haven't had an anti-capitalist screed quite like "I Love Boosters," though.
The May 22 release from rapper/director Boots Riley follows a gang of retail store thieves, or "boosters," hoping to take down a fashion designer (Demi Moore). The heroes are the thieves, the folks who make sure we can't access razors or other goods at the supermarket without asking a clerk to unlock the glass doors.
Who are we supposed to root for again? The film reportedly is a fever dream brought to life, much like Riley's 2018 directorial debut, "Sorry to Bother You."
The early reviews, naturally, are full of raves. Movie critics, by and large, lean aggressively to the Left. And boy, does it show in their critiques.
"Boosters" is a "blisteringly funny, joyfully rousing anti-capitalist satire," raves The Hollywood Reporter.
"The film presents boosting as an act of insurrection from the street up," says Variety.
That's Hollywood morality for ya.
The movie arrives at a curious time, culturally speaking. The Democratic Party is unabashedly embracing socialism, from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's political ascendency to big-city mayors going all in on Marxist policies.
Think Boston's Michelle Wu, Chicago's Brandon Johnson, and Seattle's Katie Wilson.
And then there's the most prominent socialist of them all, the guy eager to run a playbook that has led to catastrophe for decades.
It's New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's party now. Just ask the Democrats' most popular figures, who can't stop chumming around with the Big Apple leader.
It makes perfect sense for Hollywood to make a movie like "I Love Boosters" now, given the current climate. Will people actually line up to see it, though? An early estimate suggests a $5 million-plus haul, not bad for an indie film but hardly a breakout hit.
The film's box office tally may not matter.
Will "I Love Boosters" catch the zeitgeist, teaching audiences to give socialism one last try? It's never really been tried, don't you know? "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," as George Santayana warned us.
That's why Hollywood is so adept at pop culture messaging. The industry won't capture communism's wreckage on screen nearly as much as it should. But an anti-capitalism comedy with a starry cast?
Bring it.
That's why it doesn't matter if "Boosters" earns $5 million or $50 million. The film will flit from theaters to your favorite streaming channel in short order, spreading its socialist decree far and wide.
