Arriving on 4K UHD this week is Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman, starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, and inspired by the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester.
Army veteran Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) is a single father living in North Carolina, struggling to provide for his three children. In 1998, he begins using his keen observational skills to study employee routines at more than 40 McDonald’s restaurants, ultimately exploiting those patterns to rob them. His method is as unusual as it is audacious: breaking in through the roof during the night and startling employees when they arrive the following morning. It is this signature approach that earns him the media nickname “the Roofman.”
After two years, Jeffrey is finally apprehended, sentenced to 45 years in prison, and cut off entirely from his children when his ex-wife (Melonie Diaz) severs contact. Once again relying on his powers of observation, Jeffrey manages to escape from prison. While waiting for his friend Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) to secure fake documents so he can start a new life, Jeffrey is forced to improvise. With few places to hide, he conceals himself inside a Toys “R” Us store, living undetected behind a display for six months.
Despite knowing he must remain invisible, Jeffrey begins a relationship with store employee Leigh Wainscott (Dunst), a churchgoing single mother with daughters of her own. Leigh believes Jeffrey is a businessman from New York, completely unaware that he is secretly living in the store where she works, surviving largely on peanut M&Ms and other snacks. Of course it is only a matter of time before Leigh discovers the truth.
Although Roofman was marketed as a comedy, it plays more convincingly as a crime drama with light comedic touches. Tatum’s natural charm makes him a strong fit for Jeffrey, while Dunst delivers a solid performance as a woman drawn to a man she doesn’t fully understand. The supporting cast is also noteworthy, including Ben Mendelsohn, Juno Temple, and Peter Dinklage as the Toys “R” Us manager baffled by the mysterious disappearance of candy.
While Roofman is an engaging and well-acted film, it doesn’t linger long after the credits roll. Still, fans of the cast and viewers with an interest in films based on true events will likely find it worth watching.
Bonus Features:
- Based On Actual Events And Terrible Decisions – Cast and crew discuss the stranger-than-fiction story of Jeffrey Manchester.
- Chasing The Ghosts: The Director’s Method – Director Derek Cianfrance details his immersive, documentarian approach to storytelling.
- A Good Place To Hide – A fascinating look at how the team recreated a full-scale Toys “R” Us set for the film’s most iconic scenes.
- Driving Lesson – Watch Kirsten Dunst give her on-screen daughter, Lily Collias, a real driving lesson.
- Choir Practice – Uzo Aduba leads a spirited church choir sequence captured in full rehearsal form.
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes – Extended and alternate cuts of key moments.
By: Marc Ferman
