‘Roofman’: Channing Tatum Charms as an Oddball Fugitive in Derek Cianfrance’s Quirky True-Crime Story

Alci Rengifo

When frustrated by lack of money some individuals will make dangerously life-changing choices. In the late ‘90s, Jeffrey Manchester robbed dozens of McDonald’s, initiating an odyssey that would find him incarcerated, planning and succeeding in a prison break, and ultimately culminate with him hiding out in a Toys “R” Us and Circuit City, while plotting his next heist. Instantly this sounds like prime material for a movie, and now we have it in “Roofman.” There are so many different avenues this story could have taken, from very dark to nearing slapstick. It has fallen into the hands of director Derek Cianfrance, a filmmaker comfortable profiling working class America. He is attuned to the quirky aspects of this tale, creating, with Channing Tatum, a memorable loser who can be endearingly entertaining and woefully tragic.

Jeffrey Manchester, played by Tatum, is introduced as a former U.S. Army soldier who is now divorced. Jeffrey finds it understandably humiliating that he can’t even afford a good birthday gift for his young daughter. His best friend, Steve (LaKeith Stanfield), is fellow veteran who makes good money producing fake passports for clients willing to pay $5,000 a pop. Steve doesn’t understand how someone with keen observation skills like Jeffrey is always broke, admitting his friend is also, in other ways, not the brightest bulb. In desperation, Jeffrey figures he can start robbing McDonald’s locations by entering through their buildings’ rooftops. As a former worker at the fast food franchise, he knows the basic layouts, including where the money is kept. Due to his expected fumbling, after some early successes that gain him anonymous notoriety on the news, Jeffrey is arrested and sent to prison. In 2004, he finds a simple yet bold way to escape but now urgently needs a hideout. The best option manifests at a Manchester, NC Toys “R” Us.

“Roofman” seems to mark an attempt by Cianfrance to make breezier, lighter films. His catalog includes the emotionally wrenching marriage portrait “Blue Valentine,” still his best known film, and the crime thriller “The Place Beyond the Pines.” The rich indie look of those films is still present here thanks to cinematographer Andrij Parekh. Cianfrance doesn’t change his aesthetic. He is being more playful with his narrative tone. As with those other films, the environment being presented is still that of struggling Americans who don’t live in impressive homes or have six figure salaries. Jeffrey could be any struggling guy wondering why he can’t get a break, especially after serving his country. His choices are absurdly unwise, but hardly difficult to understand. 

This will not become some intricate character study however. Cianfrance has too much of a good option for entertaining us with Jeffrey’s time in the toy store. Like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal,” it is fascinating and fun to watch the fugitive figure out where to set up a permanent home base, coming out at night to grab items that can be turned into a comfortable bed and TV set up. To stay clean Jeffrey washes using the bathroom sink. For food he raids the candy aisles. Inevitably he has to deal with the fact there are people who work here. This allows Cianfrance to deliver the equivalent of two movies for the price of one. A separate narrative forms as Jeffrey starts spying on the staff, which includes Mitch (Peter Dinklage), the manager who is a toxic bully, and Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst), a single mom who has to beg for time off. 

As if following the rules of old Hollywood, Cianfrance proceeds to give us a love story. Jeffrey overhears Leigh mention a toy drive at her local church (which Mitch of course refuses to send donations to) and decides to drop off some merchandise. When he gets pulled into Sunday service by the overly cheery pastor Ron Smith (Ben Mendelsohn) and his wife Eileen (Uzo Aduba), the fugitive gets introduced to Leigh. How does he explain not being able to let her visit him? On the fly, Jeffrey claims to be some sort of government intelligence operative. It is not a bad twist considering we do feel the tension building as Jeffrey endears himself to Leigh’s daughters, including moody teen Lindsay (Lily Collias), while somehow keeping his situation secret. These moments also have the small town America feel Cianfrance excels at. No one is a villain, except for maybe Mitch, just regular people living in a place where the wider world feels nonexistent. 

Cianfrance joins Jeff Nichols (“The Bikeriders”) as one of the best directors of what can be called pure Americana in modern popular film. He tells stories set in the corners other directors would either ignore or glamorize. The approach is evident in how he directs Tatum, using his charm to create a down to earth criminal incapable of making big speeches or delivering falsely flowery lines. He’s a dimmer version of his struggling male stripper in the first “Magic Mike” set during the Great Recession. Dunst is also perfect as a small town divorcee who goes to church more out of a sense of needing community than any religious devotion. Instead of basking in the absurdities of this true story, the casting and writing by Cianfrance and Kurt Gunn make it somewhat poignant. 

There could have been deeper psychological explorations of the main character. During the end credits we see photos of the real Jeffrey and one senses something a bit darker, if not off, about the man. Surely there must be much more to a person willing to always take ridiculously risky, if not stupid, routes instead of attempting to figure out a rational solution to their money issues. There is almost an unrecognized fatalism in Jeffrey. Juno Temple is also underused as Steve’s colorful girlfriend who helps fit Jeffrey with wigs to plot a getaway to South America. Still, “Roofman” is never less than fascinating and like any good story, we’re fully involved in wanting to know just when Jeffrey’s scheme in the toy store will come crashing down, as it must. In a rare feat, the human element shines above the caper.

“Roofman” releases Oct. 10 in theaters nationwide.