Without getting into the nitty-gritty of RF design, if done properly they will shape and reflect the signal emitted by the antennae so that more of the emitted radio waves are transmitted towards the drone. Similarly, they should bounce more of the received signal back onto the antenna, boosting the apparent amplitude they sees.
The should, however, be constructed taking into account the properties of the specific frequencies and amplitudes being used to gain the maximum benefit. Failing to do this, as is likely with a DIY tin-foil approach, could quite likely actually end up reducing the range of the signal. Frankly, given even the stock antennae is pretty good to around 5km (probably further, but that's the max I've gone so far), unless you're in the habit of doing very long range flights or are getting alarms about strong RF interference on a regular basis they're probably not worth the bother.