ROOFMAN

ARMY VETERAN MAKES HIS WAY AS BEST HE CAN

by PETER THOMAS BUSCH

The destitute military veteran finds a way.

Channing Tatum plays a charismatic army veteran who cannot find the money to buy his daughter her first bicycle, in Roofman (2025). But Jeffrey Manchester finds a way to support his family by robbing McDonald’s restaurants. Jeffrey first enters the premises by cutting a hole in the roof.

The police eventually catch up to Jeffrey at his house where he has recently purchased a big brand new television without any legitimate income to pay for it. Jeffrey then escapes from jail and finds refuge inside a Toys “R” Us retail store.

The army veteran uses his survival skills learned from his service with the 82^nd Airborne Division and evades suspicion for about 30 days.

Director Derek Cianfrance uses a linear narrative broken up into three stories. The first story is about Jeffrey robbing and becoming known as the “Roofman”. The second story is about Jeffrey surviving inside the Toys “R” Us. A third story is about Jeffrey’s attempt to start over and create a new life for himself.

Kirsten Dunst costars as the love interest, Leigh Wainscott, who Jeffrey first encounters by running surveillance on store employees, to keep himself entertained.

Leigh unknowingly endears herself to Jeffrey by having vigorous discussions as an employee of the store with the store manager. Jeffrey becomes smitten and leaves the store temporarily during the day to begin a relationship with Leigh.

Cianfrance paints everything with a bit of comedy, with every word spoken becoming hedged by this big secret as to who Jeffrey really is.

The film takes on the whimsy of a comedy, with the expectation incrementally being built that Jeffrey’s freedom will soon come to an end, it would just be a matter of when.

Eventhough the three stories offer separate lives, the scenes flow together seamlessly, with an interesting story made compelling with the knowledge that everything really happened.

Dunst creates a happy soft spoken church lady with her own children from a broken marriage. Leigh becomes smitten almost right away by Jeffrey, and the developing love story pushes the narrative through several scene sequences.

Leigh’s devotion to Christ and outreach skills allows her to embrace the new member of the church. But Leigh does notice warning signs, especially around her children, such as inappropriate conduct, especially for a church goer.

Roofman is an interesting curiosity currently streaming on Paramount+ in Canada.