Roofman is a crime-comedy film based on the unbelievable true story of Jeffrey Manchester, a spree robber and former Army veteran who was known for breaking into fast-food restaurants through their roofs. The movie is directed by Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance, and stars a talented cast, including Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, and LaKeith Stanfield.
Jeffrey Manchester Lives His Best Life at Toys “R” Us
Roofman tells the story of Jeffrey Manchester and his true crime spree, which led him to escape from prison and—this is the ridiculous part—camp out in his local Toys “R” Us for months while he was being hunted by the FBI.
He meets and befriends (falls in love with) Leigh Wainscott, a single mother played by Kirsten Dunst, while he’s squatting at the Toys “R” Us and living his best life. I think the underlying reason Jeffrey became involved with Leigh and her family is that he had been longing for a new family to replace the one that he lost. He was embracing that feeling.
Story, Pacing, and Performance
I thought the pacing of the film was pretty good. The story is just wild, and while I know they likely embellished things for cinematic purposes (which is more than fine in my book when it comes to storytelling! ), the story itself is just bonkers and inherently interesting. It was sometimes a bit fast-paced, which helped give you that cinematic excitement. You were waiting for him to do something wild, you were like, “What is he going to do next?”
Okay, let’s talk about the performances.
Kirsten Dunst was hands down my favorite part of the movie. She is so good. I wish more people would give her better roles and opportunities like this one. She was great in this. Period.
I had mixed feelings about Channing Tatum in the lead role. Some of the parts he played in his performance as Jeffrey just rubbed me the wrong way a little bit and came across as cringe to me. It felt forced at times, to be honest. But the longer I watched the movie, the more I got into his performance in the role, and it didn’t bother me as much by the end of the movie. I wouldn’t call it bad by any means. I would say his performance was my least favorite part of the film. It was the only element that took me out of the movie for a second at times because I didn’t fully believe him in the role. I believe he could do the role better in a potential sequel/reboot. The only real reason I think he didn’t quite nail this is because Jeffrey’s true story was probably much more serious than Tatum could ever play it. But who knows.
The Final Verdict
I was entertained. I had a good time. It’s a fun movie. It’s a thrilling, exciting watch.
I’m giving Roofman a 3 out of 5 stars (3/5).
Pro Tip: Stay through the credits. They show you photos of the real Jeffrey Manchester, so if you’re interested in learning more about the true story and want to compare it to the film, it’s worth your time to see those at the end.
