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| Poster for 'Roofman.' Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Miramax. |
Channing Tatum played Jeffrey Manchester, an ex-Army Reserve soldier and divorced dad who had a penchant for details and thieving. He was known as "The Roofman" for breaking into his targets by drilling into their roofs. It was like Tatum channeled Sam Dawson and Scott Lang into one as his character managed to find a way to sneak out of prison underneath a truck with skills from prison shop, then make a home in a corner in a 2004 Toys 'R Us.
It was pretty funny and amusing how Jeffrey sort of took control of the store after closing. How he snacked on M and M's, skated around on Heely-like shoes, he acted like a grown man with a kid's bedroom with inflatables and Spider-Man merchandise, and he kept security with baby monitors. It was also kind of funny how he made money out of stealing and pawning a bunch of video games.
While trying to get out of the country after fleeing to the store, Jeffrey crossed paths with store employee Leigh, played by Kirsten Dunst, who, after so long since Mary Jane Watson, still had that perky girl charm. Tatum and Dunst's characters had cute chemistry, and Jeff eventually won the hearts of her daughters, Lindsey and Dee, even if he put them through a scary drive to end their conflict.
Then there's the matter of the cynical Toys R Us manager Mitch, played by Peter Dinklage, the upbeat pastor played by former 'Ready Player One' bad guy Ben Mendelsohn, Juno Temple's small screen time resembling Phoebe from 'Friends', and just the fun rapport the "armed and dangerous" Jeffrey established with the kind North Carolina folks. It's funny how he does so many bad things and yet doesn't want to be the bad guy. Kind of like, "Hey, I'm Jeff. I need to rob a few bucks. Can you do what I say so that I don't be the guy who has to hurt you? Because it's not my kind of thing." That's how he was like when he first robbed McDonald's, with the manager played by a bearded Tony Revolori, Flash Thompson from the MCU.
You should also take note of the camera zooms on Tatum's character's trembling over his bad decisions and wanting to do right by his original and new families, accompanied by poignant piano music by composer Christopher Bear.
And the crazy part is, this all happened in real-life!
Overall, 'Roofman' was a good blend of crime, comedy, and drama. An 8/10. Just would've preferred where Jeff got everything he wanted without waiting 30 years in prison.
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