Never did I think that the lone Toys R Us by the Pineville Mall would get its time to shine but thanks to Roofman, my beloved Charlotte was displayed in all its glory. The Derek Cianfrance film tells the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, a thief known as the “Roofman.”
Jeffrey (Channing Tatum) is a former Army Reserve soldier who was suspected of stealing from McDonald’s in the surrounding Charlotte, North Carolina area. In Cianfrance’s film, we get to see the kind of family man Manchester is. He starts to steal because he wants to make a better life for his daughter and sons but makes bad decisions to get there.
He’s a deeply flawed man who doesn’t really understand that his family not wanting to talk to him is warranted but it makes Tatum’s take on the man so much more interesting. He is, at his core, a man who just wanted a better life for his wife and kids. Yes, he went about it in the wrong way, but it is the kind of movie that really tugs at your heart strings when it comes to compassion and understanding.
The use of humor in Cianfrance’s script, which he co-wrote with Kirt Gunn, lulls the audience into a “cutesy” little feeling as Jeffrey hides away in a Toys R Us to keep himself safe from the police. But there, he meets Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) and all his caution goes out the wind.
A story of compassion, love, and bad decisions
Maybe my love of this movie comes from a mix of going to school in the Carolinas and living in Charlotte or maybe I have a deeper understanding of men trying but I do love it. My own father always thought of these half-baked ideas to make things easier for our family and he was never right, much like Jeff. Which is why I think I found myself moved by Jeff’s attempts to still be a great guy.
And even with the true story element to this movie, we still have moments that shock us. Like the reveal at the end of what Jeff continued to do behind bars and Cianfrance and Gunn’s work make the 2 hour run time fly by as we’re learning who Jeffrey Manchester really is.
What makes Roofman special is that it doesn’t pretend like Manchester’s crimes are nothing to worry about. Those trying to track him down are not villains, he’s not some hero. But we do see why he was forced into that possession. It’s an interesting balance between understanding why someone does the things they do and knowing that you might not do the same but you can understand their motivations.
Tatum’s work as Jeffrey is a perfect character study and one made that much better with the scenes between Leigh and Jeff. These two people just want a fresh start and while a lot of it is based around Jeff’s lies, it is still a beautiful story about resilience and how long someone can sustain living behind the bike rack.
Roofman is in theaters on October 17.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
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