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Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) is a U.S. Army veteran who struggles financially, leading to problems with his ex-wife, Talana (Melonie Diaz), as he tries to provide for his three young children. Turning to a life of crime, Jeff begins robbing McDonald's restaurants, earning the nickname "Roofman" for breaking into buildings through the roof. Although his crimes eventually catch up with him, Jeff is unwilling to stay in prison for long, soon staging a simple escape and eluding the authorities. Jeff creates a makeshift home in a Toys "R' Us store, where he notices an employee, Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a single mother without a positive male presence in her life. Jeff soon forms a relationship with Leigh after meeting her at a church toy drive, complicating the fugitive's plan and threatening to blow his cover. Planning to eventually flee the country and start afresh elsewhere, Jeff hopes to receive help from fellow veteran Steve (LaKeith Stanfield), who makes a living on the side creating fake IDs.
While constructing the screenplay, Cianfrance interviewed Jeff for several days a week over four years to hear the Roofman's stories, some of which were so unbelievable that the writer-director consulted the arresting officers, who corroborated everything. Roofman is a full meal, clocking in at over two hours as it traces a significant period in Jeff's life. However, the deliberate pacing of the midsection might not work for all viewers, especially due to the director's trademark stylistic restraint. The movie is not entirely accurate, as the script changes a few details to create a more effective dramatisation. For example, Leigh did not work at Toys "R" Us in real life, and Jeff did not hack the store's computer system, among other things. Streamlining and slightly altering the story, luckily, helps the narrative flow without undermining the core facts.
Roofman is brimming with early-2000s nostalgia, functioning as an effective time portal to an era when people still shopped in toy stores, smartphones did not exist, Blockbuster Video stores still attracted regular customers, and McDonald's restaurants still looked exciting and colourful. The production crew lovingly constructed the Toys "R" Us store from scratch for filming, even filling the shelves with actual early-2000s merchandise, and the illusion is so convincing that unsuspecting members of the public reportedly wandered into the building hoping to buy toys. Anybody who shopped at Toys "R" Us during their childhood will get a heartwarming kick out of this meticulous recreation.
Cinematographer Andrij Parekh (Blue Valentine) shot Roofman on 35mm film, resulting in a textured, grainy visual aesthetic to further evoke the early-2000s. Shooting on film and eschewing a glossy digital aesthetic is enormously beneficial, as the decision helps the film visually stand out in 2025. Another impressive detail is Cianfrance's casting of several people who actually participated in the real-life events, including most of the arresting officers and the truck driver who unwittingly helped Jeff escape from prison.
The role of Jeffrey Manchester is an ideal fit for Channing Tatum, who gets the opportunity to flex his unmatchable strength as a charismatic, likeable leading man. Even though Jeff continually shoplifts from Toys "R' Us to pawn video games, and his Boxing Day robbery goes sideways, Tatum still makes us root for him - we want to see Jeff successfully disappear and move to another country without an extradition treaty with the United States. Additionally, Tatum adds an emotional, human core to the story, delivering some of the most resonant and nuanced acting of his career. Thankfully, the supporting cast is equally effective, from the disarming Kirsten Dunst as Leigh to the always-reliable LaKeith Stanfield as Jeff's friend and former sergeant. Meanwhile, Peter Dinklage and the superb Ben Mendelsohn add further colour to the ensemble.
Engaging, emotional, and often humorous, Roofman is a terrific return for Cianfrance, whose cinematic voice has been sorely missed. He approaches the material with sincerity rather than sensationalism, crafting a character study that is both odd and unexpectedly affecting. An offbeat examination of loneliness and reinvention, it's full of small, human moments that accumulate into something quietly resonant. For audiences willing to embrace its gentle pacing and unconventional tone, Roofman is one of 2025's most rewarding discoveries - an unpredictable gem that deserves a broader audience and lingers on the mind long after viewing.
8.2/10
