Hey everyone and welcome to a brand new movie review! This time, I am going to be looking at the latest star vehicle for Channing Tatum, Roofman! Based off of an odd true story, of a thief who robbed several McDonalds restaurants and then proceeded to go on the run, I was very curious about this as I am a fan of Tatum as a performer and this looked to be taking advantage of his onscreen charisma as a leading man. Not only that, but the director, Derek Cianfrance, is one that is more known for doing smaller stuff like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, which from what I hear are quite the downers. So, seeing him try and fit his sensibilities into a more general audience friendly studio programmer intrigued me and I thought it had the potential to be a compelling character study. Was it able to succeed in stealing my attention? Let’s jump right in and see if this is a movie worth going on the run with!
We follow one Jefferey Manchester, a discharged army veteran living in North Carolina, who is now divorced and trying to make some sort of living given his circumstances. Given his incredible skills of observation, he uses these abilities to rob McDonalds, doing this 40 times over the span of two years (becoming known as the “Roofman”) and he uses that money to provide for his family. The authorities eventually catch up to him though, and he ends up being sent to prison, sentenced to 45 years and with his ex wife cutting him off from the family completely. However, he ends up escaping and being a fugitive on the run, making his way to Charlotte and deciding to hide out in a Toys R’ Us until he his old friend and former sergeant, Steve, can get him a way out of the country. While there he ends up forming an attachment to an employee named Leigh and he starts to question his actions and what they could mean for those he grows closest to.
Given what I’ve heard of Cianfrance’s work, many have cited this as being his most mainstream and accessible film yet. At the same time, that doesn’t stop him from telling this story in a very interesting and thoughtful manner. When one hears the premise, the potential for wacky shenanigans immediately arises and there are plenty of very funny moments involving the child like wonder of being able to roam around a Toys R Us and getting to see an adult mess around with all these toys and observe the day to day life of working there. That being said, the film is way more of a drama that just happens to have splashes of comedy thrown in. Jefferey’s situation and motivations are very well established and I was invested in seeing where this journey would go, despite knowing how this story would turn out in real life. Cianfrance seems interested in exploring complicated individuals and this film becomes an exploration of the harsh realities even those with the best intentions have to face. Seeing this nice guy who just wants to provide for his family, have to resort to the worst possible methods to achieve his goal and how he keeps resorting to these actions creates an interesting push pull between these two different sides of him that I found was portrayed in a way where I found myself having sympathy for him, while being incredibly frustrated by him, but in a way that feels real and adds to the tragedy of the situation.
Dianfrance also does a good job commentating on the economic hardships that would lead someone like Jefferey down the path he chooses, making it understandable why he did so, while also not completely letting him off the hook as far as his some of his personal actions go. The drama is very well done and all of the humor and other genre elements (some rom com thrown in for good measure) never takes away from it and feels organically integrated, like this would be things that would come up if this situation happened in real life. In fact, it makes things all the more sad when reality starts setting in for Jefferey as he realizes that he can’t keep living these two lives forever. Now, there are some aspects of the final reels that do undercut ending (which in and of itself is perfectly handled and the best note that doesn’t pull an punches for how honest and real it feels) as how things play out in real life don’t exactly match for what the movie is trying to say regarding Jefferey’s development, but that’s less of an issue with the movie itself. That and the movie runs a tad longer than it needs to, but it manages to stay a consistently engrossing character study throughout.
Helping an old school studio programmer like this, is that much effort was put forth behind the scenes to make this into a well crafted picture. Shot on 35 mm film, Cinematographer, Andrij Pareksh, helps in getting the grounded feel of the film across very nicely as it feels like time capsule to the early 2000s in a way that’s hard to pinpoint visually. The way the bright colors of specific elements such as the Toys R Us and the Christmas decorations showcased serve as clever contrast to the drama present in a way that shows Jefferey’s realities clashing between each other. It also just makes this story, that is a smaller kind of story in the grand scheme of things, feel more cinematic and shows a great amount of effort to make this feel like a movie that uses its budget. Cianfrance is also successful in using intimate space in the more character driven moments, getting us closer to these individuals and giving us a clear sense of the emotions they are feeling. There’s also a well earned attempt to make this true story come to life, with Charlotte being the filming backdrop and Cianfrance capturing some great location shots while also capturing that small town feel one has when they think of North Carolina. Also loved how the production team went to the efforts of recreating a Toys R Us building with them doing a splendid job of recreating the establishment and capturing the feeling it would be just roam around looking at all the endless toys in the inventory and the imagination of just getting to use them… while also showcasing the less fun idea of actually having to work there too. Adding to this, Christopher Bear’s score fits the often melancholic feel of the movie well and can sometimes sound as it is music that would actually play at a Toys R Us.
As someone who has always been a fan of Tatum’s work, I gotta say… this might be my favorite performance he has ever done which is really saying something. He of course, uses his movie star charisma to make Jefferey into a very charming individual who is able is very much a genuinely good hearted man, meaning his attempts to actually fit in manage to feel genuine, even if what he is saying isn’t always true. However, Tatum is able to masterfully alternate between what he’s known for with a much more uncertain and flawed side of Jeffery as a guy, not fit for being a criminal on an emotional level, being forced to be something he just isn’t despite his skill set. Tatum explores this roller coaster of a character arc extremely well as we see an internal struggle play out on his face as he tries to figure out whether he wants to continue go down this path or if there’s anyway he can try and dig himself out of the hole he has dug himself into and that sense of desperation and fear is what makes the third act as emotionally effective as it is and it is stark how much he has changed since the beginning of the movie as exemplified by how he carries out his heists (potentially the most friendly robber ever) in the final act versus the beginning. Also doing an equally phenomenal job is Kirsten Dunst, who is able to make Leigh into a strong three dimensional character. She is also someone who uses an exterior to mask a couple of her inner doubts and fears as she is a level headed individual who is often reserved, but is going through a lot being an ex wife and managing her two daughters on her own. Dunst perfectly conveys all of this and there are various moments where her expressions do all the talking and one can tell what she’s thinking in a given moment and there’s one point near the end where it gets the heart break across very effectively. Her and Tatum play off one another seamlessly, making it understandable why she would gravitate toward him so quickly and their relationship is one that captures the investment.
It helps that they get great support from one of the best supporting ensembles I’ve seen in a movie this year as far as talent goes. Even though, this is very much the Tatum and Dunst show, all of the other actors do a strong job in making their characters feel realized and I just enjoy seeing this actors in anything they do. Lakeith Stanfield gets the most substantial to do plot wise as Steve and he does a great job playing up his sarcasm, but also his experience in dealing with these sorts of things, brutally reminding Jefferey of the reality of his situation in a tough love kind of way. He also has an immense amount of intellect that makes his status quo all the more unfortunate to the point where he also resorts to crime (except he seems much more capable than Jeffery). I also found he made for an amusing audience surrogate, as he voices how the audience must be feeling about Jefferey’s actions at points. Peter Dinklage also seems to be having fun as the a**whole Toys R Us manager, Mitch, a man who doesn’t really like to take his employee’s feelings into consideration. He’s the kind of character that risks feeling out of place, given his almost comical level of unlikability, but Dinklage makes him seem like the most realistic kind of jerk and he is involved in some of the funniest parts of the film (some of which were given away in the trailers). There’s even a great bit involving an employee named Otis (Emory Cohen) who keeps being a victim to his mockery, that ends up paying off in a way that I really did not expect and it worked quite powerfully. Also really enjoyed Juno Temple as Steve’s girlfriend, Michelle, who gets some laughs in as well as Ben Mendelsohn as Ron Smith, a pastor whom Jefferey befriends. I’m so used to the latter playing despicable villains that it was quite jarring (in a good way) seeing him play a normal and kind guy and I found it wonderful.
One very neat touch that I thought added another layer of authenticity was the decision to cast some of the real people who were involved in the event in the film in various parts. Some of them, like the truck driver and the officers hunting him down play who they actually were, while others like Ron and Leigh make little cameos. I thought this was a nice choice as it makes the story feel more lived in and a sign that the filmmakers put the time to really look into this event and try to get a feel for what it was like being a part of it. Plus, according to the interviews shown during the credits, their input seemed to have helped in getting Jeffery’s character down and in shaping how Tatum would portray the character. Just thought it was cool that Cianfrance did that.
On the whole, I found Roofman to be an extremely compelling character study that was totally up my alley. It’s a tad long and has some outside factors that undercut the emotion a bit, but on its own, it is impressively able to balance tones very well, the drama is engrossing, it elicit many emotions successfully, it looks great, it is very well made, the characters are engaging, and the cast, especially when it comes to Tatum and Dunst knock it out of the park. I can’t say how Cianfrance’s fans would think about it compared to his other films, but for those who want to see just a really great drama with an interesting true story being told or want to see Tatum do something a bit different, I think this is a worthy one. Given how much I loved this one, I have to check out the director’s other movies as I really seem to dig his way of exploring his characters and subject matters. This is also just one of those movies that feels like it would’ve thrived back in the day as a well liked studio programmer, but now feels like something we just don’t get much of nowadays. I guess they should’ve included a post credits scene showing Jefferey Manchester getting recruited by Danny Ocean to join his crew. Maybe that would’ve gotten some attention?
Rating: A
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