Wait...They're Trying to Cancel Boots Riley Now?

Here at BrokeAssStuart.com, we joke a lot about things (or people) that are canceled. It’s part of being a leftist publication. Who said something problematic? 🫣 Who took money from Someone Bad (and not in a fun, Rob the Rich way, but in a boooooring Michelangelo way)? Who can we rib? 

Some of these problems are genuine, and they require reflection. After all, there’s so much dark money floating around San Francisco (which we’ve covered more than once). And we’ve got excellent reporting from places like indie COYOTE and even SF Examiner’s critic Max Blue, to make sure we’re celebrating arts but holding ourselves accountable.

But things took a silly little turn online this week when arguably the best filmmaker of our time, the OG Boots Riley, started getting called out for working with Amazon to release his latest social commentary delight. 

I remember the feelings (much like when I finally “got” Hegel) ((namely: hysteria, an urge to barf, confused horniness, commiseration, delight, like I was better than everyone else)) I had when I saw Riley’s 2018 sci-fi comedy Sorry to Bother You. Although I haven’t yet seen I Love Boosters, I bet I’m gonna like it. I mean, it’s Boots. It’s Bay Area. It’s bound to be fun, and I think movies should be more fun. (Boots, if you’re reading this and want to throw Stuart and I some tickets… that would be tight 👀)

So when a critic wrote, “but must the revolution be so sloppy?” my eyebrows shot up. And then there began a feed-filling flood of criticism on Twitter about Boots Riley not being leftist enough. Well, either that or I follow too many knee jerk posters whose job in the revolution is to be online…criticism I can hurl because I am also guilty of the same. 

Boots Riley responded, explaining in a tweet:

Here’s the fun thing. I’m not a film critic! I’m not even really a communist (Although I think capitalism sux! I’m just lazy and everyone always wants you to reread Das Capital). I’m just a democratic socialist (and a flake who doesn’t really attend meetings). I name-drop Hegel around other leftists to make sure they don’t kick me out from the table at Zeitgeist. And I try to watch movies. (Is Movies Praxis?)

So perhaps, since I haven’t seen the movie and am not a communist, or at least am a terrible one, perhaps I should shut the fuck up. Alas, I am paid (a small amount but what Stuart can afford) to write about things, and I thought maybe if I write a bitingly catchy headline and throw in some memes people will either laugh, engage with the work, or who knows! Invite me to a movie? (Again, Boots, if you have an extra ticket we certainly wouldn’t say no).

Nothing canceled stays canceled. It’ll blow over, and people will learn to have fun again. I, for one, am looking forward to people way outside of my art critic punching class (ahem, Max Blue) digesting the movie and telling me what they think. But it probably won’t stop me from watching.

Thanks for shopping for art criticism here at BrokeAssStuart.com. We know you have a choice in what you read, and we’re thankful you chose us (and it probably has a nothing to do with our lack of a paywall) (to which our colleagues at pubs like The Chron and The Standard will indignantly chirp “that’s a load-bearing paywall!”) (that I pay) (because I’m a bad leftist) (I also pay for things like COYOTE, which is much better and I don’t feel guilty about). Anyway, here are some online thoughts about the movie that say everything I said here, but better and shorter and more to-the-point.