October 9, 2025
FILM: ROOFMAN
DIRECTED BY: DEREK CIANFRANCE
STARRING: CHANNING TATUM, KIRSTEN DUNST, PETER DINKLAGE
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The opening scene of director Derek Cianfrance’s new film Roofman features a man, played by Channing Tatum, breaking into the roof of a McDonalds in North Carolina. There are three employees inside the restaurant as he attempts to rob it. He locks them in a freezer but not before giving one of them his own jacket to keep warm. That in and of itself says a lot about the man, Jeffrey Manchester, and the overall varied tone of the film. It’s humorous, tragic, loving, and pretty entertaining.
Roofman is based on the true story of Manchester who, at this point, was already being sought after for similar break-ins at other McDonalds, Burger Kings, and related fast-food restaurants. Once caught, Manchester is sent to prison where he eventually breaks out and finds a way to hide and live in a secret space in a Toys R Us store for several months. All of this is established within the first 20 minutes or so of the film. Most of the narrative is centered on how he lives in the store and strikes up a relationship with an employee, Leigh, played by Kirsten Dunst. The narrative is mostly cut between his nighttime in the store and the growing connection he makes with Leigh and her two children during the day. Of course, she’s unaware that he’s sleeping in her place of employment as he takes on a new identity – curiously, one in which he doesn’t change his looks. Since there’s been a manhunt for Manchester and his photo has been all over television, it begs the question, “why doesn’t anyone notice?”
At first, I thought this was a major hole in the plot only to find out that the same thing happened in real life. It’s important to note that the events take place in the early 2000s before Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok existed. Plus, this was a relatively small community in the south which wasn’t glued to their phones and laptops to the same degree people are today. Still, since Manchester didn’t have a car, I wondered why Leigh never asked about his lack of transportation. Most of his related responses to questions about what he does for a living are answered as a secret government job which he can’t reveal. That seems to be enough for Leigh, her daughters, and the members of the church whom she introduces him to.
The other element of Manchester’s personality is that everyone seems to find him “just really nice.” There isn’t much of a reason for people to suspect anything questionable about him. One might wonder if Cianfrance is suggesting these are unaware people who keep their eyes blinded to any negative people or behavior in their midst. While this may be true, I think he well-establishes that Manchester was always trying to do what he felt was right by people. In fact, his whole reason for stealing from McDonalds and other stores in the first place was to take care of his family. We’ve seen this as a common 21st Century theme in television series such as Breaking Bad and Your Friends and Neighbors. We sympathize (albeit a bit less so in the ladder series starring Jon Hamm) with these characters who have found a way to justify breaking the law. The character of Jeff Manchester is the most likeable of all of these, making our connection with him even stronger.
Channing Tatum does a great job in the role, offering plenty of charm and physical dexterity when dodging cops and store employees. Kirsten Dunst is a pro at creating characters that seem relatable, innocent, but also strong (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fargo, Power of the Dog.) She is in complete control of her portrayal of Leigh and we really feel for her current place in life. It’s also great to see Peter Dinklage in a role which is more playful and timid then what we’ve seen in some of his other parts (Game of Thrones, The Station Agent, Living in Oblivion.)
The recreation of a Toys R Us store, in a formerly abandoned one, is truly impressive. The filmmakers paid very close attention to the types of lighting, fixtures, and toys that would have been found in the store at the time, including a talking Elmo. Whether by necessity or not there is a LOT of product placement in the film from M&M’s to Red Lobster and, of course, McDonalds. All of it works though because this is the world in which Manchester finds himself at the time which is cluttered with commercial products and industries.
Cianfrance also does a great job of establishing a tone which is one part comedy and another tragedy. Manchester is a tragic figure who made a lot of wrong choices. He represents the good and the bad perhaps in everyone. He becomes a churchgoer and positive father figure while also stealing and creating havoc in places we’d expect to be safe from harm. In other words, Cianfrance depicts the world as it is, not how we idealize it to be.
Roofman opens in theaters today.
FILM: ROOFMAN
DIRECTED BY: DEREK CIANFRANCE
STARRING: CHANNING TATUM, KIRSTEN DUNST, PETER DINKLAGE
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The opening scene of director Derek Cianfrance’s new film Roofman features a man, played by Channing Tatum, breaking into the roof of a McDonalds in North Carolina. There are three employees inside the restaurant as he attempts to rob it. He locks them in a freezer but not before giving one of them his own jacket to keep warm. That in and of itself says a lot about the man, Jeffrey Manchester, and the overall varied tone of the film. It’s humorous, tragic, loving, and pretty entertaining.
Roofman is based on the true story of Manchester who, at this point, was already being sought after for similar break-ins at other McDonalds, Burger Kings, and related fast-food restaurants. Once caught, Manchester is sent to prison where he eventually breaks out and finds a way to hide and live in a secret space in a Toys R Us store for several months. All of this is established within the first 20 minutes or so of the film. Most of the narrative is centered on how he lives in the store and strikes up a relationship with an employee, Leigh, played by Kirsten Dunst. The narrative is mostly cut between his nighttime in the store and the growing connection he makes with Leigh and her two children during the day. Of course, she’s unaware that he’s sleeping in her place of employment as he takes on a new identity – curiously, one in which he doesn’t change his looks. Since there’s been a manhunt for Manchester and his photo has been all over television, it begs the question, “why doesn’t anyone notice?”
At first, I thought this was a major hole in the plot only to find out that the same thing happened in real life. It’s important to note that the events take place in the early 2000s before Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok existed. Plus, this was a relatively small community in the south which wasn’t glued to their phones and laptops to the same degree people are today. Still, since Manchester didn’t have a car, I wondered why Leigh never asked about his lack of transportation. Most of his related responses to questions about what he does for a living are answered as a secret government job which he can’t reveal. That seems to be enough for Leigh, her daughters, and the members of the church whom she introduces him to.
The other element of Manchester’s personality is that everyone seems to find him “just really nice.” There isn’t much of a reason for people to suspect anything questionable about him. One might wonder if Cianfrance is suggesting these are unaware people who keep their eyes blinded to any negative people or behavior in their midst. While this may be true, I think he well-establishes that Manchester was always trying to do what he felt was right by people. In fact, his whole reason for stealing from McDonalds and other stores in the first place was to take care of his family. We’ve seen this as a common 21st Century theme in television series such as Breaking Bad and Your Friends and Neighbors. We sympathize (albeit a bit less so in the ladder series starring Jon Hamm) with these characters who have found a way to justify breaking the law. The character of Jeff Manchester is the most likeable of all of these, making our connection with him even stronger.
Channing Tatum does a great job in the role, offering plenty of charm and physical dexterity when dodging cops and store employees. Kirsten Dunst is a pro at creating characters that seem relatable, innocent, but also strong (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fargo, Power of the Dog.) She is in complete control of her portrayal of Leigh and we really feel for her current place in life. It’s also great to see Peter Dinklage in a role which is more playful and timid then what we’ve seen in some of his other parts (Game of Thrones, The Station Agent, Living in Oblivion.)
The recreation of a Toys R Us store, in a formerly abandoned one, is truly impressive. The filmmakers paid very close attention to the types of lighting, fixtures, and toys that would have been found in the store at the time, including a talking Elmo. Whether by necessity or not there is a LOT of product placement in the film from M&M’s to Red Lobster and, of course, McDonalds. All of it works though because this is the world in which Manchester finds himself at the time which is cluttered with commercial products and industries.
Cianfrance also does a great job of establishing a tone which is one part comedy and another tragedy. Manchester is a tragic figure who made a lot of wrong choices. He represents the good and the bad perhaps in everyone. He becomes a churchgoer and positive father figure while also stealing and creating havoc in places we’d expect to be safe from harm. In other words, Cianfrance depicts the world as it is, not how we idealize it to be.
Roofman opens in theaters today.