REVIEW: “Roofman” (2025)

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The movie “Roofman” is based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, a former Army Reserve officer who turned to robbing restaurants. He robbed around 60 McDonald’s locations before being caught and sentenced to 45 years in prison. After escaping, he went to Charlotte and remarkably lived undetected inside a Toys “R” Us store for months, surviving on baby food and candy while remaining unknown to the store’s employees.

The unbelievable true story of a man in Manchester feels like it belongs on the big screen. The film, “Roofman,” is directed by Derek Cianfrance, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Kirt Gunn. Channing Tatum stars as Jeffrey Lancaster, introduced while pulling off a successful robbery at a McDonald’s. Jeffrey was an exceptionally observant and methodical soldier, skilled at noticing patterns and memorizing procedures. While these skills made him a talented thief, they didn’t translate to success in his personal life.

Jeffrey deeply loves his daughter, Becky, but his ex-wife, Talana, is fed up with his unreliable behavior. Things get even harder when he’s arrested and sent to prison. Desperate to see Becky, Jeffrey uses his thieving skills to break out. While on the run, he surprisingly hides out inside a Toys “R” Us, spending his days concealed within the store and sneaking around at night.

The story takes its most unexpected turn when Jeffrey becomes infatuated with Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst), a single mom who works at the store. Even though he’s a famous TV personality, Jeffrey finds Leigh at a toy drive held by her church and pretends to be a newcomer in town, claiming he’s working on a confidential government assignment. He starts going to church services and even attends a singles event, where he impresses the women of the congregation and eventually wins Leigh over. Soon, they’re enjoying walks in the park and spending time with Leigh’s teenage daughters – the proudly nerdy Dee (Kennedy Moyer) and the moody Lindsay (Lily Collias).

The movie adds unnecessary, over-the-top moments to an already unbelievable true story, and it doesn’t always improve things. From Tatum’s ridiculous escapades to simplified characters needed to advance the plot, the film feels contrived. It’s also a very predictable story – you can see from the start that Jeffrey’s scheme is destined to fail, and he’ll never be able to return to his former life or start a new one.

Honestly, even though the movie isn’t perfect, it’s still enjoyable because the actors clearly had a blast making it. Channing Tatum is great at playing lovable goofballs, and he really nails it here. Peter Dinklage is fun as the store manager, and it’s cool to see Ben Mendelsohn playing against type as the pastor. LaKeith Stanfield delivers some really funny lines, and Kirsten Dunst is the standout – she’s such a talented actress and elevates everything she’s in, even this quirky script!

“Roofman” has some genuinely funny and touching scenes, and director Cianfrance manages to pull good performances from a somewhat messy plot. However, the film’s tone is inconsistent. The filmmakers seem more focused on portraying the subject as a fundamentally good person, rather than exploring the reasons behind his actions and why he continued to commit crimes. Ultimately, the movie feels like a missed opportunity – a more compelling and insightful version of this stranger-than-fiction story could have been made.

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2025-11-25 17:57