Friday Flicks: Roofman

Roofman is a quiet, fantastic show of skill from Channing Tatum & Derek Cianfrance

Channing Tatum as Jeffrey Manchester, Roofman’s charming, downbeat conman protagonist

Do not let Roofman’s marketing fool you. Derek Cianfrance’s latest (out nationwide in theaters) is not the outrageous crime comedy the movie’s inept marketing would have you believe.

Rather, it is Cianfrance going back to doing what he does best: returning to form after 2016’s overdramatic The Light Between Oceans with a meditative story of a criminal desperately trying to maintain connection in a hostile world while staying afloat on his shady enterprises. It contains outstanding performances from Channing Tatum as the titular Roofman and Kirsten Dunst as his single mom girlfriend.

It’s funny, heartbreaking, tense, and due to its marketing, currently bombing at the box office. Which is sad, because truly human movies like Roofman are rare but needed more than ever in today’s cinematic landscape.

Although, one issue with the movie is that it does take a while to get to the really human part of its story; choosing to begin with down-on-his-luck military veteran Jeffrey Manchester being inspired by a friend to start robbing McDonald’s franchises to support his family. This is an area of Manchester’s life that Roofman pays frustratingly little attention to.

Instead, the movie chooses to cover this saga with minimal detail, fast-forwarding to Manchester’s brief stint in prison. Brief, because he quickly escapes, starts hiding out at a Toys “R” Us, and strikes up a romance with Dunst’s single mom and acting as a surrogate father to her children, all whilst dealing with the tension of his predicament.

It’s a fantastic premise, aside from its lack of focus on Manchester’s most famous exploit and its occasional proclivity to play into Tatum’s natural talent as a comedic actor at the expense of drama and forward momentum.

The story and script do a great job at showing how Manchester, a veteran, is pushed into making terrible decisions because of his financial woes, a saddening prospect still very relevant in society. Once the weak first act is over, the audience is rewarded by a terrifically enveloping second act, and a thrilling final act. Cianfrance draws the audience in with the humorous absurdity of the whole situation, and once they are there, switches tones to warm their hearts as Manchester becomes the husband and father he never had a chance to be. Finally, he switches tone once more for the grim, suspenseful final act; a triple-crown achievement that only an emerging master could pull off.

Meanwhile, he and cinematographer Andrij Parekh capture everything in a rosy, 70s-tinted manner that is gorgeous to witness. But do not be fooled: the real star of Roofman is obviously Channing Tatum. If anyone has forgotten how amazing he is as an actor, this film will remind them like a slap to the face. At my screening, he had audiences laughing one moment, and tearing up at the next. You really feel warmth when he comforts a kid, and you feel alive when he pilots a car like a manic. In fact, he pilots the entire movie forward with manic energy, much like Leonardo DiCaprio in the concurrent One Battle After Another. A final note of praise: Tatum does more with his eyes than most actors can do with their entire range. This is his best work since 2014’s Foxcatcher and at the very least, warrants a Golden Globe nomination.

Similarly magnificent is Kirsten Dunst, another underrated actress who achieves every mark as Channing’s struggling single mom love interest and lifeline to a happier life. Much of Roofman’s warmth and radiant human center comes from her performance, as she truly inhabits her role with a sincerity that cannot be faked, and a trust that severs the audience’s heartstrings.

On a last note, Peter Dinklage, playing an obnoxious, douchebag Toys “R” Us manager, brings to the table some of the funniest line deliveries of the year. One of the many reasons to watch Roofman in theaters while you still can. Cianfrance’s unique mesh of warmth, heartbreak, and suspense must be supported so that he can make others like it in the future, and even more importantly, so others can do the same and revive this type of mature, midbudget movie that we so desperately need but seldom get anymore.