October 9, 2025 · Watch the official trailer
Exploring the duality of good and evil, light and dark, has a long history in moviemaking.
Yet it’s in the most unexpected of places that writer-director Derek Cianfrance finds inspiration for his latest film, “Roofman,” a lighthearted, comedic, yet inquisitively sensitive biopic dramedy that contains just enough truth to make the surreal feel instantly emotionally resonant and relatable.
Based on the wild tale of a real-life escaped convict, “Roofman” follows ex-soldier Jeffrey Manchester as he struggles to provide for his family after leaving military service, opting to use his unique skills to rob fast food restaurants. These decisions ultimately led him to prison and his surreal escape, where he seeks refuge in a North Carolina Toys-R-Us to wait out the cops in pursuit.
While such a premise could easily be played for strictly comedic hijinks or seek to vilify the protagonist as an irredeemable criminal element, “Roofman” finds authentic humanity within Jeff’s story in an almost antihero sense. The writer/director behind character driven dramas like “Blue Valentine,” “The Place Beyond the Pines,” and “The Light Between Oceans,” Cianfrance is able to capture the unique blurring of moral right and wrong in Jeff’s character in a refreshingly poignant, altruistic way.
For such a unique film, perfect casting of its protagonist is required to allow audiences to plausibly suspend their disbelief, and the quintessential “girl dad” energy that Channing Tatum brings to the role – while also maintaining layers of boyish charm, a sense of purpose, and meticulous calculation without being cold to the world – makes Tatum the ideal choice to play Jeff.
Much of “Roofman” is spent with Jeff in isolation from the outside world, observing things at a distance and leaving the camera solely focused on Tatum’s performance, with no room to hide. The way Tatum credibly balances Jeff’s overwhelming empathy with his desire to maintain his freedom keeps the overall project from feeling too far-fetched or running off the rails entirely.
Though it’s clear that he has deep love and affection for those around him, the only genuine connection in Jeff’s life is found in the relationship he makes as a fugitive with the slightly naïve, morally altruistic Leigh played by Kirsten Dunst. Tatum’s ability to bring out Jeff’s desire for human connection in kindred spirits is matched by Dunst’s very subtle work as a single mom whose faith in the decency of others comes from fervent Christianity and her relentless positive energy.
While some audiences might write her turn off as a touch one-note, Dunst is far from the “manic pixie dream girl” persona she developed in Cameron Crowe’s 2005 dramedy “Elizabethtown” and the lengths Cianfrance goes to in the screenplay to share Leigh’s family and church life with Jeff anchors their connection to each other as well as enhances her ability to draw the audience in to events from Leigh’s perspective.
Talented character actors like LaKeith Stanfield as Jeff’s fellow soldier turned criminal Steve, Peter Dinklage as Leigh’s boss at the Toys-R-Us and Ben Mendelsohn as the local pastor have limited supporting roles that add context and flavor to the world of “Roofman,” but leave audiences often wanting further exploration of their backgrounds as well.
Cianfrance grounds the film in late 1990s style, shooting “Roofman” on 35 mm film to give a hazy, lived in feel to visuals and production design that took an actually abandoned Toys-R-Us store and rebuilt it from scratch filled with period accurate toys like Tickle Me Elmos, early Playstation video games and action figures, allowing Tatum to explore a fully stocked store for the holiday season and adding layers of authenticity to the film.
While it’s unlikely to garner much awards consideration, “Roofman” is an exceptionally well balanced film with genuinely rich characters and crowd-pleasing heartfelt comedy that audiences will be glad they checked out either in theaters or at home viewing later this year.
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