Roofman
All wonderful mischief and quirky fun, The Roofman, starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Lakeith Stanfield and Peter Dinklage, is a wholesome story of a criminal trying to find his place in the world. Funnily enough, he finds it in the most unlikely of places – hidden away in a Toys R Us while he’s on the run from escaping prison. Underneath all the comedic bravado, it’s a human tale of family, love, and the feeling of being lost.
The Roofman follows the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester, a former US Army Reserve member, whose eye for detail catalyses a series of robberies in branches of McDonald’s. Struggling financially and hoping to impress his daughter, his criminality lands him, a seemingly polite and kind person, locked up after being caught in a heist wherein he left his victims stuck in a freezer – but not before ensuring they all put on their coats. Once in prison, he is unable to bear the thought of being away from his daughter. In Jeffrey’s mind, never seeing someone is to forget them. So, to assuage his worries, he creates an elaborate plan to escape prison, leaving him stranded at a Toys R Us store, living off of M&M’s, using baby monitors as surveillance on the employees, and eventually finding himself attached to Leigh, one of its workers.
Tatum is endearing in his performance, capturing the essence of Jeffrey’s juxtaposing identities: a criminal who also happens to be a nice guy. The actor excels in physical comedy, which amplifies the emotional weight of his reality – living on the outskirts of society, unable to interact or form stable links with anybody because of his unique predicament. Cinematography highlights these nuanced emotions utilising shots through transparent and reflective surfaces, creating the visual effect of Jeffrey being trapped – figuratively within the store and metaphorically in his current standing in life. This technique brilliantly exposes Jeffrey’s isolation, using empty spaces and his reflection to emphasise how he is on his own. The only downfall to the production and script is its lacklustre presentation of Jeffrey’s stealth. For someone as prolific in his robberies as Jeffrey was, the picture doesn’t do justice to the excellence of his thievery.
The pacing is uneven, with the first act an exposition dump. Too many things happen in a short period of time to explain how Jeffrey ended up in Toys R Us. Then it starts to slow down as Jeffrey’s life in the store unfolds; there’s the occasional montage, but overall, it eases the audience into Jeffrey creating a routine and finding connections with the employees and the people in town. This meticulous and agonisingly slow pacing heightens the anxiety of the viewers as the imminent reality of everyone finding out about him looms over the feature. The audience will slowly fall in love with Jeffrey, the quiet life he builds with Leigh and her daughters, and the disappointing heartbreak of when he has to make the horrific choice to go back to his criminal ways is an explosive endeavour that’s twice as effective because of the quiet and simmering build.
The Roofman, for all its extravagant comedic beats and enjoyment, is a sad tale of a man and his inability to find his place in the world. With his ingenuity and eye for detail, Jeffrey is the epitome of someone with wasted potential. More than that, The Roofman is a story of lost love, broken and found families, and the power of choices and what-ifs. With first-person narration, Jeffrey begins the piece with the quote: “I made some bad choices that took away some other choices.” It’s a powerful statement well-explored in this movie.
Mae Trumata
Roofman is released nationwide on 17th October 2025.
Read more reviews from our London Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event, visit the London Film Festival website here.
Watch the trailer for Roofman here:
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