When Jeffrey Manchester returns to civilian life following a stint in the military, he struggles to make ends meet, but he uses his skills and ability to calculate and figure things out to successfully rob several McDonald’s restaurants, until he’s incarcerated for his deeds and estranged from his family. When he escapes, he forges a fake identity and takes up residence in a Toys R Us store, where he finds himself falling for one of the employees he watches each day. But will his lies and past eventually catch up with him and derail his attempt at restarting his life?
ROOFMAN is based on a true story, and it’s certainly one of the most entertaining stranger-than-fiction stories of recent years. Although the story does deal with a man who committed crimes, at times it’s surprisingly lighthearted and charming, largely thanks to the chemistry of its leads. While the run time is too long and film does drag in its third and final act, ROOFMAN is still one of 2025’s biggest cinematic surprises.
A story can only be as good as its leads, and this critic is pleased to say that the casting choices here are superb. Channing Tatum is our leading man, portraying Jeffrey Manchester, the down-on-his-luck ex-military con who is willing to go to the most ridiculous extremes to clear his name and start over. Seeing him begin a relationship with a charming single mother played by Kirsten Dunst makes for a surprisingly effective and entertaining love story. This guy may have committed bad deeds, but director Derek Cianfrance’s touches here assure that the audience will be rooting for him despite it all. You will be too.
The supporting cast is nearly as impressive as the leads, if not a bit underused. These include appearances by Ben Mendelsohn as a church pastor, Jimmy O. Yang as an underutilized used car salesman, and Peter Dinklage as a tyrannical Toys R Us store manager you’ll absolutely love to hate. The script is strong, and everyone cast for their parts pulls them off perfectly.
The sheer absurdity of this material (despite it being a true story!) would collapse in the hands of lesser screenwriters and directors, but the folks behind the camera certainly know what they’re doing. You’ll laugh at the film’s series sequences (of which there are many) and likely be surprised at just how strong the film’s love story is, not to mention out hero’s want of a second chance in the world. The ending certainly hits hard, too.
If there’s one weakness in this otherwise great film, it’s pacing. The running time is simply too long for this material, and it does tend to lose some momentum in places; a good 15 minutes worth of edits could’ve made for a more concise but no less effective film. The movie at times can’t quite pull of its juggling act, with many characters getting fairly minimal screen time and certain subplots never quite getting fulfilled. Still, at the end of the day, there’s more good than bad here.
ROOFMAN as absurd and surreal, but it’s also hilariously entertaining and surprisingly heartwarming at times despite its subject matter. Tatum and Dunst make a great on-screen couple, and that this is a true story with so many bizarre twists and turns makes the end result even more satisfying. While it falls short of perfection, it’s still one of the biggest cinematic surprises of 2025. Highly recommended!