Channing Tatum delivers career-best performance in “Roofman”
Channing Tatum delivers career-best performance in “Roofman”
Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a prisoner on the run camping out in a Toys R Us, in this surprisingly touching yet bizarre true story.

We’re in the golden age of biopics. Recently, Mark Kerr got one in The Smashing Machine, Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown and Bruce Springsteen in the upcoming Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, but rarely do we see normal people get their time of day on screen.
Roofman highlights the life of Jeffrey Manchester in spectacular fashion—even if some things could be tightened from a run time standpoint and some of the casting choices were….debatable.
One thing’s certain, we’re living in Channing Tatum’s world. Each year, he has continued to entertain audiences with his lively charm and his knack for taking on roles outside of comedy. From playing an action hero in White House Down to a psychopath in Blink Twice, Tatum fits into his roles like a glove.
Roofman, with the talented Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines) at the helm, gives Tatum space to breathe and truly get into the character of perhaps the craziest true crime story that involves the now bankrupt Toys R Us.
The crime comedy follows Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum), a former Army veteran and recurring thief with an affinity for peanut M&M’s. Manchester had robbed dozens of fast-food restaurants by breaking in through the roof, hence the dubbed name “Roofman.” Manchester is not like other robbers—he cares. A scene in the first 20 minutes showed Manchester being polite in a robbery at a McDonald’s, offering a worker his jacket as he locks workers in a walk-in freezer before absconding with the money. As he served his lengthy jail sentence, Manchester escaped prison and found refuge in a nearby suburban Toys R Us. The film follows his experience camped out in the store, as he embeds himself within the community.
For the 2-hour time, it was hard not to be immersed in Cianfrance’s vision of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the early 2000s. Tatum leaned into his southern mannerisms while Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman, Melancholia) adopted a traditional southern accent. The church played a main meeting point throughout the film, with Pastor Ron (Ben Mendelsohn) and his wife, played by Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), serving as central characters. Red Lobster served as a pivotal place where Manchester and Dunst’s Leigh Wainscott fell in love.
But the casting felt mismatched. Ted Lasso’s Juno Temple had an extended cameo in the film playing Manchester’s friend’s (Lakeith Stanfield) girlfriend. The British actress tried her best at a southern accent, but failed to disguise her own. Jimmy O’Yang also had a cameo as a car salesman, but was underused given his comedic chops in the acclaimed show Silicon Valley. Stanfield (Atlanta) also came out to be an odd choice to play Manchester’s friend. His character’s swearing is probably the reason it’s rated R.
Twenty minutes of this film could be cut out, but it’s hard to deny the gritty cinematography. The film’s sequences, shot on Kodak Film, give it that early 2000s feel. Close-ups convey subtle emotions, while shaky chase sequences add tension in the latter points of the movie.
Despite the film’s runtime and shortcomings in casting, Roofman is a feel-good story worth recommending. While mislabeled as a pure comedy, the film’s dramatic aspects are where it excels. Standout performances from Tatum and Dunst made the chemistry between Wainscott and Manchester far more believable.