Take 37: Roofman
Based on a true story, Roofman stars Channing Tatum as real life Army vet and proud father turned (somewhat) reluctant professional thief Jeffery Manchester who, after escaping from being imprisoned for a string of thefts, finds himself on the run. He can only run so far since his daughter, his pride and joy, keeps him tethered to Charlotte, North Carolina. While evading the law, he finds himself fleeing into a Toys R Us and sets up camp there out of desperation. He finds this to be an idle locale to stay close to his daughter while staying away from the law. He becomes privy to the lives of the employees of the store and becomes especially interested in Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mother who works there. This leads him to venture out and assume a new life which include her and her two daughters. Before long, his old life begins catching up with his new one and the two come into explosive conflict.
I will start by admitting I am a little biased when it comes to Channing Tatum. Dude is hella charming. Much like his Jimmy in Logan Lucky(very highly recommended if you haven’t seen it), he is at his most charming when playing a father. Once again, his love of his daughter makes his do some questionable things and still, you can’t help but root for the guy, even though we know he shouldn’t be doing. Since he is portraying a real-life protagonist, there is even more nuance to this character and Tatum pulls it off. You get that this guy is a vet that the system has failed. You get that he can charm Leigh and her kids. You get that he really means well. And you get that he will do anything for his daughter, even if it’s probably not going to end well.
The movie starts out great. We understand the characters and situation. It is established that although he has committed crimes, he’s a nice guy. He’s apologetic as he points a gun in your face. He literally gives one of his victims the coat off his back when he has to force him into the walk-in cooler as he robs one of many, many, MANY McDonalds he hits. We see him as the father trying to his best. We see where that leads and there is a tonal shift. And that shift words until a certain point. Then I found myself thinking, okay, we are only so far into to movie, who is this going to sustain another hour plus?
As if on cue, enter Kirsten Dunst as Leigh. I will admit, I have never been the biggest Dunst fan. Sure, I liked her fine in Bring it On. Never bought her as Mary Jane in the Spider-Man movies. She wasn’t exactly the most likable character in Hidden Figures, so yeah, can’t say I’m her number one fan. But here, she works. She is supposed to be rather plain and girl, no woman-next-door and yeah, I brought it. She is the shot in the arm that the movie needed just was I was starting to worry about the pacing. And yes, the plot becomes a bit like what I imagine a Hallmark Christmas movie to be, I was okay with it.
Yeah, it definitely t sappy. I’ll admit, but I wasn’t really bothered. It manages to incorporate the elements of the beginning of the film with the Hallmark moments in the third act in a way that is really satisfying. We are reminded a couple of times throughout that this is the guy telling his story, so the ending is implied, but you’re never sure of how it’s actually going to turn out, so it kept me invested through to the inevitable end and it sticks the landing. The side-by-side credits with the real and fictional are especially effective here and tie it up nicely.
I don’t imagine this movie is going to do all THAT well, and I kind of feel badly about that. This guy’s story is an interesting one. It has stuck nearly a week after viewing in a slightly profound way. There is a message there and it’s not ham-fisted. There are a few suprises in the cast that I enjoyed to which added to the experience This was another Secret Movie Series viewing and I am glad to say this one goes into the positive category. No regrets with this one. Extremely solid.
My score: 8.2, well above average. If you like Channing Tatum (and I do) definitely give it a watch.
Agree or disagree? Should this review hurl itself off the nearest building? Let me know in the comments. And until next time…
