‘Roofman’ (review)

Based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester’s robbery spree targeting McDonald’s restaurants in the late 90s, where he exploited their uniform layout to enter into to the establishments via the roof to steal their cash holdings, Roofman sees Channing Tatum portray how the Army Reserve soldier-turned-robber sought refuge in a Toys “R” Us store in Charlotte, North Carolina, after escaping prison for his robberies, and the series of improbable events that ensued thereafter.

In order to evoke the feel of the late 90s and early 2000s, cinematographer Andrij Parekh utilized 35mm film with convincing results, just as the setting of a Toys “R” Us also enabled the set design to do heavy lifting to help transport the viewer back a few decades, and it overwhelmingly works.

Tatum confidently takes on the leading role with sincerity and humanity, and he competently navigates the viewer through the narrative as a reliable and likeable leading man, making it easy to invest in Jeffrey in spite of his deeply flawed and problematic nature.

Kirsten Dunst also utilizes her talents to create a subtly nuanced portrayal of Leigh, a single mother who works at the Toys “R” Us store where Jeffrey is hiding unbeknownst to her and the other members of staff, as she unexpectedly ends up romantically involved with Jeffrey as their paths cross outside the store.

Regrettably, as is sometimes the case, the marketing campaign has emphasized the comedic elements much more so than the drama, priming the viewer for something less emotional and character-driven than it actually is, which ultimately is a disservice to the film, as it sets it up to fail on the basis of presenting it as having a significantly less serious tone than it actually has, thereby running the risk of alienating viewers who were enticed by the marketing.

Instead, what lies beneath the sporadic moments of almost slapstick-esque scenarios is a film with more tender dramatic qualities, where the fantastical nature of the events that inspired the film take a backseat to Tatum and Dunst portraying two wounded people finding each other in an improbable scenario that seems doomed to fail.

The film does not attempt to exonerate Jeffrey for his crimes as such, instead examining the excuses he makes to himself in order to justify his behavior, and seeking to make sense of the life and mind of the complex and unusual criminal behind all the elaborate shenanigans.

As well as the drama works, where the film struggles is in how jarring the tonal shifts between the comedy and drama can at times be, just as the pacing increasingly drags as the film goes on, where the insistence on dwelling on the more mundane aspects of the story results in the film running much longer than it needed to.

A fine showcase for Tatum’s charisma and range, Roofman is unlikely to become a new classic, especially due to its pacing issues and the jarring tonal shifts, but as movies based on improbable real events go, the craftmanship on display is competent and largely impresses in spite of the marketing campaign working against the film, and the humanity of the central performance may just steal your heart.

*  *  *  *  *
Produced by Jamie Patrico, Lynette Howell Taylor,
Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Dylan Sellers
Screenplay by Derek Cianfrance, Kirt Gunn
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield,
Juno Temple, Melonie Diaz, Lily Collias, Jimmy O. Yang, Peter Dinklage

Verdict: 7 out of 10