Gotta love a good story. Derek Cianfrance could have taken Roofman a million different directions. But, like myself when I saw all the news about it, he knows a good yarn when he sees one. This is one of those based on a true story tales that mostly sticks to the facts. Silly, sad, fascinating, beautiful facts that just so happen to perfectly fit into a 2 hour movie. The best kind of facts!
The Roofman was Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum). He was famous across North Carolina in 2004 for entering McDonalds through the rooftops, stealing the money…and being extra kind to the people he was robbing. Jeff never wanted to be a thief: he had to because he couldn’t provide the life, or even the bike, for his daughter Calliope (Esme McSherry) that she deserves. Eventually, Jeff gets found out, and gets sentenced to decades in prison. But as his military buddy Steve (Lakeith Stanfield) points out, Jeff’s superpower is observation, which the Roofman uses to break out of prison. Steve tells him to lay low before his next steps. So, Jeff finds lodging behind a bike display in a Toys R Us, and even musters up the courage to get out of his hiding and strikes up a conversation with sweet single mother and Toys R Us employee Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst).
Derek Cianfrance the director never overshadows Derek Cianfrance the writer. The movie works because Roofman’s story is awesome, so Cianfrance the director stays mostly invisible. The most he does is make us feel like we’re in 2004. The brands do the heavy lifting: Blockbuster Video, Toys R Us, 2004 Mickey D’s. Flip phones and 1990s used cars. Cianfrance yes picked some of these because they factor into the story, but also to remind us how fleeting and specific this time period was. Perfectly setting up the tone for the movie, a wonderful surface of silly, but underneath hiding real longing and sadness for what was lost. From there, Cianfrance hopes the great Francine Maisler can assemble a killer cast to make Jeffrey Manchester’s escapades a great film for everyone to enjoy.
And deliver Maisler does! Roofman could not be more an ideal Channing Tatum character. After his unlocking in the Jump Streets, Tatum’s best acting self is a physical comedian, trying to impress someone he’s in awe of. The first hour of this movie will be a primer for the viewer: it’s built around what Tatum excels at: goofy manchild antics from a sweet place. The scenes of him alone in Toys R Us will generate more than a few laughs. But hiding underneath the goofs is a desire to be loved and not be alone, which he’ll break your heart when you see it here. The 2nd hour utilizes Tatum’s desire to impress by pairing him with someone he’s in awe of, Kirsten Dunst. Great choice, Francine! Dunst is the perfect foil for Tatum, forever empathetic but clearly an adult sure of herself. Tatum’s desire to please and Dunst’s amusement at his presence makes for a sweet little romcom: a short film inside the bigger picture. Filling out the cast around them is just a murderer’s row of overqualified supporting players like Lakeith Stanfield, Peter Dinklage, and a clean cut completely nice Ben Mendelsohn, which weirded me out a little.
You’ll always know where Roofman is going, but you won’t care. Jeffrey Manchester’s comet like presence in society was joyful enough to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. And that Toys R Us really brought me back: some of my best memories were in there as a kid, and my Power Rangers Zords loving self.