Roofman Movie Review

Roofman (2025)

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Written by: Derek Cianfrance & Kirt Gunn (screenplay by)
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage, Tony Revolori
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A charismatic criminal on the run from the police hides in a hidden space of a toy store. There, he adopts a new identity and becomes involved with an employee, beginning a relationship as unlikely as it is risky.

Verdict
It seems ridiculous, and the fact that it's based on a true story adds to the intrigue. Tatum is more than charming enough in the role, and that makes it easy to root for him. He's not malicious, he just wanted a better life, and that soon spun out of control. You can only hide out in a Toys R Us for so long, and soon enough his ruse comes to a point.
It depends.

Review
This is based on a true story, and it follows the major beats quite closely. A thief did rob McDonalds restaurants by drilling through the roof before going to jail, escaping, and then  hiding in Toys R Us and later a nearby Circuit City.

Cianfrance also wrote and directed Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), and The Light Between Oceans (2016).

Tired of not being able to provide for his daughter, Jeffrey (Channing Tatum) gets an idea after talking with his army buddy Steve (LaKeith Stanfield). Jeffrey's observational skills are off the charts and he puts that to use by robbing McDonalds restaurants. He cuts through the roof, waits for employees to arrive in the morning, and then locks them in the freezer. He's nice about it, making sure everyone has a coat before locking them in. How much has he made with these jobs? He seems to be doing well based on his house and cars. How did his wife not have questions? I wondered how long he had been getting away with this, but just as I asked that the police arrive at his house.

Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey / John

There's no doubt that Jeffrey is going to escape from prison. It's a pretty simple plan too, riding out under a box truck. He heads back to see his daughter, but he's soon trying to hide from the cops looking for an escaped convict and enters a Toys R Us. He hides above the ceiling, and then starts living in the store, finding a hidden space behind the bike rack. He creates a nice hiding place using the goods from the store, sleeping during the day and playing at night. He even sets up a surveillance system with baby monitors. Jeffrey grows bored from the restrictions, constantly looking for ways to entertain and reinvent his circumstances.

Through his surveillance he gets to know a bit about the manager Mitch (Peter Dinklage) and employee Leigh (Kirsten Dunst). When Mitch unsympathetically refuses to help a toy drive Leigh brings to his attention, Jeffrey decides to right the wrong. He donates several toys from the store to the local church. He's charismatic which helps him ingratiate himself into the church quickly.

Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst play John, Leigh

While he's supposed to be hiding out, Jeffrey starts a new life as John. He begins dating Leigh. While he's smart, he doesn't plan things out. He's doing a terrible job of keeping out of sight. Part of it is boredom, and the other part is not liking Mitch and his harsh treatment of employees. Couple those things, and we get a situation that spirals out of control. I don't know how someone didn't recognize him since he's still in the community where he originally committed his crimes and was caught. I also wonder how Mitch didn't realize how much stuff Jeffrey was stealing. While Mitch later admits to the police that theft had increased, Jeffrey is pawning thousands of dollars worth of stuff. How did that amount of increased loss not raise a flag?

Jeffrey's original goal was to flee the country. That's still his plan, but his friend wants a lot of money for a passport due to the increased risk. That prompts a series of rash decisions. Jeffrey plans to rob Toys R Us. He's already familiar with the patterns, but the robbery has a few hiccups. Jeffrey runs, leaving Leigh and her family though he's grown to really care about them. He managed to win over her daughters, and now he's going to disappoint them in a big way. We wonder if he'll really leave them behind without a goodbye.

The big thing about this movie is that these events happened more or less. While Jeffrey is a criminal, the charisma of Tatum makes him seem quite nice, and he's disarming. We don't even feel that bad about him robbing Toy R Us with how mean the movie portrays Mitch the manager. It's fun idea that provides for a sufficiently entertaining movie.