Roofman (2025)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Toy Ploy

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Based on a crime story so strange it can only be true, Derek Cianfrance's zingy, funny, entertaining comedy-thriller Roofman does a fine job of balancing details and characters, even if it sometimes lags a little.

Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) is a former Army Ranger, who is having trouble supporting his wife (Melonie Diaz), his beloved daughter Becky (Alissa Marie Pearson) and two infant sons. His army buddy Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) encourages him to use his "superpower," which is "noticing things," or detail work.

He begins robbing a series of McDonald's restaurants by breaking in through the roof. This works for a while, until he is caught and sent to prison. But, using those same skills, he finds a way to break out. Taking cover in a Toys "R" Us store, he discovers a hidden space and begins living there, biding his time until Steve can help him with a new identity.

While he waits, he slowly becomes involved in the life of store employee Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst), who doesn't know his real identity. But there's a storm coming, and Jeffrey must make a choice.

Directed and co-written by Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines), Roofman begins with a most heartbreaking scene as Jeffrey attempts to throw a birthday party for his daughter, but he clearly can't afford the bike she wants; he gives her his old erector set (as well as a pathetic looking cake) instead.

This is the American Dream at its most curdled: a serviceman can't find work to support his family. So when he finds his solution, the movie makes us root for him; he's doing this for his family, and he's also really nice to the people he's robbing. (He gives his coat to a man before locking him in the walk-in freezer.)

Later, the scenes in the toy store are a dream come true for anyone who used to be a kid: the complete run of the place from nightfall till dawn! Jeffrey's criminal methods are clever and fascinating — and often hilarious — but his relationship with Leigh, and Leigh's two daughters, is equally touching. It's a nice balance of joy and tragedy; it's beautiful but it can never last.

Roofman runs a longish 126 minutes and certainly could have been tightened a bit around the corners. And it includes some real-life news footage and interviews during the closing credits crawl, which is an overly familiar ploy to add extra poignancy and weight, but for the most part, this is a most satisfying and affecting experience.