From director Derek Cianfrance comes a heartwarming true crime caper. Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), an army vet and struggling father, starts robbing McDonald’s to make ends meet. After escaping prison, he ends up living in a Toys R Us while he figures out what he’s going to do next. What he doesn’t expect is meeting and falling for divorced mom Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst). Suddenly his double life is on the line and it’s only a matter of time until somebody recognizes who he really is.
I had really been looking forward to this film. The fact that it was based on a true story only heightened my interest. I was ultimately expecting a cute romantic comedy mixed with some true crime, so imagine my delight when I got so much more than that.
Tatum’s performance as the titular Roofman is a career best. I had no prior information about Jeffrey Manchester and why he embarked on this life of crime. To discover that it was all to provide for his daughter just made so much sense. He was constantly feeling like he could never measure up and I think Tatum really made that clear in his delivery. Though at times I couldn’t help but feel bad for him, he was able to switch the tone at the drop of a hat by providing some hilarious moments. Dunst was solid as Leigh; I hadn’t seen her in a film in a while and she was just as great as I remembered her to be. The two shared such a charming chemistry with one another. I really loved watching their scenes and rooted for them so much.
The supporting cast were just as good. LaKeith Stanfield starred as Steve, a former army vet and friend of Jeffrey’s. He’s there for Jeffrey after the prison break though I wasn’t ever sure if we could trust him. Peter Dinklage was Mitch, the store manager of the Toys R Us where Jeffrey lived. He was not a particularly kind man, but I thought he perfectly portrayed the douchey boss. Juno Temple played Steve’s girlfriend Michelle. She didn’t have much screen time which was unfortunate because I do like her as an actress. And then there was Uzo Aduba as Eileen and Ben Mendelsohn as Pastor Ron who Jeffrey meets when he joins Leigh’s church. They were a lovable pair who seem very accepting of everybody.
I couldn’t resist the early two thousand vibes that the film boasted. From the Toys R Us store (do they even exist anymore?), to the quick blink and you’ll miss it Blockbuster and the Red Lobster sequence, I felt like I had been transported back in time. Even the way in which it was filmed gave it that retro feel which I loved.
Roofman truly surprised me. It was funny, but it was also quite emotional. It was obvious from the beginning that Jeffrey was in an impossible situation and to see how he coped with that involved many ups and downs. All he wanted was to make his family proud and I feel like even though things didn’t work out the way he wanted them to, they understood why he did what we did. I recommend checking this one out!
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️.5
Credits Rolling 