SXSW 2026: I Love Boosters & Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice

I don’t think there is a crowd that loves to laugh more than a SXSW crowd. It helps when the festival likes to select some of the weirdest, wackiest, and most laid-back comedies. It makes for some unforgettable experiences, though they could also hype up a movie that’s mostly just serviceable and fine. One thing SXSW demonstrates every year, without a doubt, is that sometimes the best way to see a movie isn’t by yourself but with a rowdy audience.

source: Neon

I Love Boosters (Boots Riley)

SXSW began with the world premiere of Boots Riley’s newest film I Love Boosters. Needless to say, it contains much of Riley’s signature antics, where he would do sideplots or tangents or just unapologetically digress. You can always count on Boots Riley to want to incorporate every single talking point he wants to make all in the same movie. This was what largely held me back from full-on loving Sorry to Bother You, a film that I thought was creative and sharply on-point but was just too narratively unfocused and sporadic.

Ironically, I Love Boosters is a way bigger movie than Sorry to Bother You, yet I never felt that Riley lost track of what he wanted to say, nor did I ever get the impression that he lost the reins and the movie snowballed out of his control. It is a bigger, crazier, weirder, and far more ambitious film, yet it maintains a singular vision from the writer/director.

Saying that the film is about a group of boosters – Keke Palmer’s Corvette, Naomi Ackie’s Sade, and Taylour Paige’s Mariah – who steal overly expensive clothes to resell them back to the community is only scratching the surface of where I Love Boosters goes. We’re talking “tip of the iceberg” here. As more and more bizarre plot devices – and I mean that both figuratively and literally – are introduced, you can’t help but wonder just how far this is going to go. You think you have the movie figured out, and then it takes a crazy turn. One reveal got the biggest laugh out of the crowd, while another bizarre reveal involving stop motion gave me so much joy. Whether you are on board with what the film is doing thematically, Riley’s talent behind the camera is undeniable, and it’s so great to see a filmmaker whose confidence only grew over time.

It also helps that Riley is working with a massive ensemble this time. In addition to our trio of boosters, memorable side characters get added along the way. Demi Moore gets to chew the scenery in her elaborate outfits as Christie Smith, the world-renowned fashion titan who the boosters are rallying against. Poppy Liu is introduced into the film as Jianhu, who adds a whole new layer to what’s actually going on in the story. Eiza González gets to demonstrate her comedy chops as a stoner turned activist who’s extremely smart and aware of the universe’s inner workings. Even the minor appearances by Will Poulter and LaKeith Stanfield are hysterical and instantly iconic.

I Love Boosters is essentially Boots Riley’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s funny, unpredictable, and wholly original. It takes a million swings left and right, unconcerned with whether they land or not, because the talent in the craft is so clear on screen. Featuring such chaotic energy grounded by excellent performance by Keke Palmer and company, the film contains all the anti-capitalist and class solidarity themes that you would hope to get, but it goes a step further by paving the way forward and showing us a way. Riley reminds us that even though there is much to be angry about the world we live in, there is still hope that we can rally, strategize, and make it better.

source: Hulu

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (BenDavid Grabinski)

We got gangsters and time travel! What could possibly go wrong? Writer/director BenDavid Grabinski proves wholeheartedly that actually yes, a lot can go wrong when the people involved are just flat out clueless. Such is the case with his newest film Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.

Mike (James Marsden) is a hitman involved in the criminal underworld. Known as Quick Draw Mike, he is the guy you go to when you need some business to be taken care of. His coworker and boss Nick (Vince Vaughn) needs him to do “one last favor” for him, before Mike is gone from that life for good. Per Nick’s instructions, Mike is to go to Nick’s house and knock out the person who answers the door. Things become real confusing real fast when Mike sees that the person who opens the door is Nick himself. It turns out that Nick is from the future. Well, the Nick who asked Mike for the favor is from the future. The Nick that Mike was supposed to knock out is a different Nick. Present Day Nick. And Future Nick needs Mike’s help to stop Present Day Nick from doing something. Oh, and Nick’s wife Alice (Eiza González), who is currently in a relationship with Mike, is also involved.

The shenanigans are part of the charm. Much of Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice has a loose, laid-back, anything-goes kind of attitude, largely because the film portrays its criminal underworld in such an unserious tone. Keith David delivers a surprising amount of laughs as Sosa, a well-respected intimidating gang leader, while his son Jimmy Boy is played to hilarious perfection by Jimmy Tatro. Together, they make a classic comedy duo chemistry, with father playing the straight man and the son being the clown.

Occasionally, the script wobbles into aimless territory, where the film would lose track of its own narrative, mainly because Grabinski would often distract himself and make tangents with improv comedy. One particular scene near the middle, where Vaughn and Marsden and González get caught up talking about Gilmore Girls, may be hilarious if you understand the references but they unavoidably halt the film’s momentum. More often than not, you might be asking yourself why the characters are where they are at the moment and what they are waiting around to do.

Once Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice kicks into high gear, whether it’s because of its fun action set pieces or because something absurd is happening, the film finds its rhythm again, thanks to the endless charisma from the cast. As (doubly) funny as he is on screen, Vaughn gives a surprisingly grounded and emotional performance as Nick. Guided by Grabinski’s writing in the latter half and especially in Act 3, Vaughn finds the bittersweetness in the time travel premise, capturing the concepts of regret and second chances. Somebody needs to give the guy a genuine, heartfelt drama to work with.

It’s the surprising emotional content that gives Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice the edge from being just a serviceable action movie. Though I personally would like a script that’s more precise and less casual, the film’s eccentric personality and sincerity should win some audiences over.