Thursday, October 9, 2025
Roofman
Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) robbed McDonald's restaurants in North Carolina by cutting through their roofs, earning him the nickname "Roofman." After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys "R" Us for six months, all while carrying on a romance with Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), an employee at the store.
Channing Tatum radiates charm and charisma, embodying Jeffrey's contradictions—ingenious, desperate, reckless, yet deeply human. Kirsten Dunst's Leigh exhibits her warmth, quiet strength, and growing connection with Jeffrey. Their relationship feels fully earned and heartfelt. Even in roles that are not major, the supporting cast shines: Ben Mendelsohn, as Leigh's pastor, is quietly impressive in every scene, and Peter Dinklage, as her mean boss, makes his authority felt and hated.
Director Derek Cianfrance, whose filmography includes "Blue Valentine" (2010), "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2012), and "The Light Between Oceans" (2016), confirms once again that he is a great storyteller. He crafts relationships that linger, not just through chemistry, but by showing the fragility, doubt, and shifting trust between people.
The film walks a delicate tonal line: the suspense of Jeffrey's hidden life keeps you on edge, yet his audacious tactics of surviving undetected in a toy store for months are at times so clever they're quietly hilarious. The film leans into that strangeness without ever losing sight of the people at the center of it.
In the end, it isn't law enforcement that catches Jeffrey—it's love. The film is not a high-concept crime story; it's a haunting portrait of how connection and devotion can reach where fear and force cannot.
"Roofman" opens in theaters on Friday, October 10, 2025.
