Roofman, 2025.
Directed by Derek Cianfrance.
Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, and Peter Dinklage.
SYNOPSIS:
Roofman arrives on 4K Ultra HD, complete with a Blu-ray and a code for a digital copy. The film starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst is a blackly comedic look at someone who is clearly smart but who couldn’t help but make one bad decision after another. Somehow, some way, he bumbled through until he couldn’t.
I’m fascinated by stories like the true one on which this film was based. How far would I be willing to go to provide for my family, if I found myself down-and-out? In my case, I of course wouldn’t go as far as Jeffrey Manchester (played by Channing Tatum) did, but it’s fun to imagine how I would proceed, if I decided to go down that path.
Directed by Derek Cianfrance from a script by him and Kirt Gunn, Roofman is based on Manchester’s decision to provide for his wife and children by robbing McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. His modus operandi involved cutting through the roof overnight and lying in wait for the employees to show up in the morning so he could rob the place.
While a compelling movie could probably be made from that premise alone, Cianfrance and Gunn decided to focus most of the story on the time period after Manchester escaped from prison in 2004 and hid in a Toys “R” Us while continuing his crime spree and even becoming a member of a local church.
Peter Dinklage plays Mitch, the overbearing Toys “R” Us manager whose height is thankfully never mentioned in the film. He’s treated as simply another character, which is a nice change of pace. Kirsten Dunst is Leigh Wainscott, one of the store employees who’s based on the real woman who Manchester became involved with while hiding from the law in plain sight.
The film takes various liberties with the actual story, of course. For example, the real Manchester moved his base of operations, so to speak, from Toys “R” Us to an abandoned Circuit City nearby, and Wainscott was never a toy store employee, but such alterations are usually necessary to create a cohesive narrative.
I’ll confess I’m not very familiar with Tatum’s filmography, but I’ve appreciated him in the movies I have seen, and in Roofman, he turns in a solid performance. He has a bit of a Ryan Reynolds vibe to him as he charms Dunst’s character, as well as other members of her church, including the pastor played by Ben Mendelsohn.
I also like how Dunst has allowed herself to age naturally, and here she is completely believable as a middle-aged, divorced mom of two who’s just trying to keep it all together. LaKeith Stanfield plays one of Manchester’s buddies who comes to his aid after he escapes from prison, and Juno Temple takes on the role of Stanfield’s character’s girlfriend.
The end result is a nice little story about a guy who’s actually likable, despite the crimes he committed, which is an angle explored in the bonus features found here. The first one, Based on Actual Events and Terrible Decisions, runs just under 14 minutes and looks at the true story this was based on. The real Leigh Wainscott and others really did like the guy, and even the actual pastor expresses empathy for him.
The rest of the extras include:
• Chasing the Ghosts: The Director’s Method (11:36): Cianfrance came to the world of feature films from documentaries, which explains his “shoot from the hip” directorial style that works quite well here.
• A Good Place to Hide (9:22): I wondered if maybe the crew dressed the exterior of an abandoned store and built the Toys “R” Us interior on a sound stage, but, no, they really did take over an old Toys “R” Us store and recreate that early 2000s vibe inside and out. It was so convincing that people often stopped by while filming, thinking the chain was back in business.
• Driving Lesson (2:59): I’ll admit the scene where Manchester, operating under the name “John Zorin,” test drives a used car by pushing it to its limits struck a false note. Why would he take such a risk and what was he trying to prove? It didn’t completely derail the movie for me, though, and this quick featurette is a look at that scene.
• Choir Practice (1:20): A glimpse into the cast getting ready for the church choir scenes.
• Deleted and alternate scenes (8:27): I can understand why all of this footage was cut, although the setup for Manchester cutting Leigh’s daughter’s hair could probably have been left in. The alternate version of Leigh’s call to him is an interesting look at an editing decision that made perfect sense.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
