Raising children is expensive.  Combine that with how difficult it can be for veterans to find suitable work after leaving the military and you have the origins of Roofman.  The movie is about a thief who earns his nickname by chopping through the roofs of businesses before robbing them at gunpoint.  Since Channing Tatum is in the leading role, I’ll confirm what’s most important to his fans: his trademark abs and glutes are prominently on display.  That said, Tatum is far more than a beefcake actor, and this movie provides him with an opportunity to showcase his seldom-used range.

Jeffrey Manchester’s (Tatum) situation is one that’s easy to sympathize with.  He’s a hard worker and a smart guy, but his unique skills as a former military man don’t easily align with the job market.  What company needs a guy who can survive in the jungle for thirty days on only rainwater and grubs?  Or who can tell how many homes on his block have chimneys?  His reconnaissance mindset would seem like an ideal candidate for a security detail or working for a security firm, but maybe getting those positions are harder than I think.

Regardless of the reasons behind Jeffrey’s plight, he settles on a career that he sees as a perfect match, that of a thief.  Although stealing is one way to earn a living, it obviously comes with significant risks.  His friend and former sergeant Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) suspects Jeffrey will do the wrong thing to make ends meet, telling him that he’s the smartest dumb guy he knows.  For his part, Steve makes false IDs, which is illegal but at least won’t land him in jail for decades if he’s caught.

Jeffrey’s pivot towards crime happens after an embarrassing birthday party for his youngest daughter.  Jeffrey’s home is dismal and his gift is a toy from his childhood.  Although Jeffrey means well and intends the toy to be a way for him to bond with his daughter, an old toy is no substitute for a bike.  When his head-shaking ex-wife Talana (Melonie Diaz) drives off without the toy, Jeffrey takes an interest in the McDonald’s nearby.

Jeffrey walks into the restaurant and has an epiphany while sizing it up as an income opportunity.  Before long, he’s hit forty of them over two years, timing his breaking-and-entering routine to coincide with the place having a lot of cash on hand.  He enters overnight and waits for the morning crew to arrive.  Jeffrey then appears, has the manager open the safe and ushers everyone into the cooler.  He apologizes profusely over them being cold, even offering his jacket to the manager who forgot to bring his.  Jeffrey may be an armed robber, but he’s nice to a fault.

The movie doesn’t say what tipped local police off to Jeffrey being the Roofman, but they crash  his daughter’s next birthday.  This time, Jeffrey has a very nice home and even has a mariachi band playing happy birthday.  Just when Jeffery shows his daughter the bike she’s wanted, the cops close in.  After a brief chase on-foot, they handcuff Jeffrey within view of his daughter.  If anything, this birthday party will always be the most memorable one of his daughter’s life.

The judge throws the book at Jeffrey, who’s accused not only of armed robbery but kidnapping as well.  Despite his outward kindness towards his victims, he’s sentenced to forty years.  Then Talana stops all communication between him and his daughter, telling Jeffrey that they’ve moved on.  Crushed but undeterred, Jeffrey decides to break out of prison to see his daughter again.  Similar to his robberies, he accomplishes this using his acute observational skills and knowledge of human behavior.  I’m a sucker for tension-filled prison escape scenes and the one here is exceptional in how it highlights Jeffrey’s ingenuity and patience.  Maybe Jeffrey should have been a magician, because he’s quite the escape artist.

Now a free man, Jeffrey does what law enforcement would consider to be the least likely move: staying put.  He hides in a local Toys R’ Us, where he waits for things to die down before making his escape to South America.  Life is good at the store after Jeffrey rejiggers the security system, allowing to roam freely and poach M&M’s.  But when the waiting stretches into months, an employee named Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) catches his eye.  

Through hidden cameras Jeffrey uses to keep tabs on the employees, he observes Leigh squabbling with her horrible boss, Mitch (Peter Dinklage).  Leigh’s good nature inspires Jeffrey to help her out, and before long they get very chummy, which is not what keeping a low profile means.  Unfortunately, Jeffrey has always made bad decisions when it comes to love and family, and this time is no different.

Recommendation

Roofman is a throwback picture in many ways.  It’s the sort of film that Hollywood studios rarely make these days, a low-budget, comedy-drama based on true events involving real people.  It’s an original character-driven story about adults, made for adults.  Twenty years ago, these movies were released regularly and were popular with moviegoers.  Flash-forward to today, and this might be the only movie of its kind released all year by the five majors.

The movie is essentially a vehicle for Channing Tatum, and it affirms that he can deliver a complete performance when given the opportunity.  Having him play a reluctant armed robber finding love on the lam is a perfect fit for Tatum, because it allows him to be intelligent, sensitive, sexy and goofy, sometimes within the same scene.  Although the movie wisely plays to his carefree persona, he’s also incredibly moving in the movie’s dramatic scenes as well.  This might be his best performance to date, even taking into account Foxcatcher and Magic Mike.

Pairing Tatum with Dunst was a brilliant casting decision, because the two have incredible chemistry throughout.  The fun they have playing off each other’s quirky acting sensibilities is infectious.  Both are actors who enjoy coloring outside the lines whenever they can, and the texture they give their characters makes them charming and relatable.  They’re so convincing as a couple here I’d like to see them paired-up in another movie.

A movie like this could have gone with no-name actors for the supporting cast for budgetary purposes.  Thankfully, this one has an amazing collection of actors who make the movie better.  LaKeith Stanfield is electric as Tatum’s foul-mouthed, straight talking brother-in-arms.  Peter Dinklage is a delightful sourpuss as the terrible boss of the toy store.  Uzo Aduba, Ben Mendelsohn and Juno Temple also shine in smaller roles as well.  Lily Collias and Kennedy Moyer are also endearing as the older and younger daughters.

Writer-director Derek Cianfrance has explored good men who are destined to make bad decisions before (Sound of Metal, The Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine).  This one plays like a lighter take of the first act of Pines, with a comedic bent that balances the desperation.  Cianfrance has an ear for dialogue that’s honest and sometimes painful, but that never devolves into melodrama.  He also ensures that every performance is memorable, no matter how small.  While this movie isn’t as serious as Cianfrance’s previous films, it’s equally sympathetic towards its flawed characters.  Maybe it represents his evolution as a storyteller, the recognition that although life can be difficult and sad, it still has moments of joy worth cherishing.

Roofman is a heartfelt movie that entertains the old fashioned way, with interesting characters and winning performances.  Channing Tatum and Kristen Dunst are engaging in the leading roles, and Tatum’s performance represents a career best.  It’s movie magic rendered at human scale.  Recommended.

Analysis

I mentioned above that Roofman played like a throwback movie.  To be specific, it felt like a movie that Touchstone Pictures released before Disney shuttered it in 2016.  Although Roofman  doesn’t remind me of a specific movie of theirs, it shares tone and approach with Touchstone’s catalog that’s uncanny.

The movie is led by Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, two very likable and uncontroversial actors.  Aside from both actors being divorced, the public images of the two are clean.  Tatum and Dunst have a friendly public image and come across as sincere in interviews.  They’ve appeared in movies for decades, making them familiar to audiences, if not box office draws.

The story of Roofman is one that also would have appealed to audiences for Touchstone’s films.  It’s about a likeable character who comes to terms with his moral shortcomings.  Jeffrey  rationalized being a criminal as the best way he can support his family, a dubious choice made out of expediency.  In the end, he recognizes that his actions always hurt those he loves and symbolically turns himself in to be punished for his crimes.  Even though Jeffrey has a lot of good qualities, there is ultimately no excuse for what he does.  The film is about the importance of understanding right from wrong, and states that regardless of Jeffrey’s intentions, what he does is wrong.

Roofman has serious themes running through it, but nothing too upsetting.  Jeffrey’s plight is the result of a confluence of issues.  He’s a veteran without a viable career path after leaving the service.  The work he finds isn’t sufficient to support his family.  The cost of buying a home is getting  beyond the reach of the middle class.  These are the reasons Jeffrey uses to justify his turn to crime.  His girlfriend Leigh also has issues that people can relate to.  She’s a single mom forced to work for a terrible boss in order to support her family.  Leigh’s heavily involved in the church, which solidifies her faith but can only provide limited support if she lost her job.  The world is challenging for Jeffrey and Leigh, who are struggling to get by.

Roofman is R-rated, but parents wouldn’t be concerned over seeing it with their older children.  There’s coarse language, but its far from Scorsese and Tarantino territory.  The movie has one sex scene that’s tastefully shot, lasts only a minute and contains no nudity.  The nudity is primarily used for comedic effect, with Tatum’s backside on display during one scene.  The only other nudity is a brief nip-slip from Juno Temple.  There’s one brief moment of violence and bloodshed.  The movie has plenty of guns, but no gunfire.  Roofman does have an adult edge, but nothing that would shock teenagers seeing it with their parents.

The gentleman bandit

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie about a gentleman bandit.  Ocean’s Eleven (2000) and Out of Sight (1998), both starring George Clooney are among the best.  Other solid entries in the genre include Nicolas Cage’s Matchstick Men (2003), Mark Wahlberg’s The Italian Job (2003) and Jason Statham’s The Bank Job (2008).  When viewed alongside those films, I can see why Tatum was attracted to the story of the Roofman.

Usually, thieves in movies are violent sociopaths.  Gentleman bandits, however, use their brains to commit crimes without resorting to violence.  Similar to Clooney’s thieves, the role of Jeffrey plays to Tatum’s effortless charm and handsomeness.  More importantly, it also lets him play a character who’s clever but lacking in a moral compass, which should help producers consider him for more complex roles in the future.

Playing against type

Channing Tatum has made a career out of being a handsome and easygoing guy.  He’s likeable from the first moment he appears on screen.  As the old adage for successful leading men goes, men want to be him, while women want to be with him.  Put another way, fathers would have no concerns over Tatum dating his daughter, even though he’s known for partying on occasion.

As such, seeing Tatum as a bad guy is almost impossible.  He tried his hand at playing the villain in Blink Twice, but it didn’t work.  Tatum could have pulled it off, but the film’s contrived script never provided a credible reason for why his character acted the way he did.  Besides, one look at Tatum makes the entire premise of him inventing the most potent date rape drug ridiculous.

Unlike most of Tatum’s roles, the character of Jeffrey is rough around the edges and not entirely wholesome.  On the one hand, he loves his children and wants to take care of them.  He also loves Leigh and is a good surrogate father to her daughters.  On the other hand, he believes his love both justifies his crimes and should excuse him from severe punishment.  It’s a role where Tatum gets to be both good and bad, and he pulls it off surprisingly well.

Things are bad, but not all bad

Based on his previous work, writer-director Derek Cianfrance has an affinity for men who are morally complex.  Although they appear to be good men, they ultimately make bad choices that doom them in the end.  This is because their decisions are driven not by logic, but their emotions.

In Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling’s Dean marries Michelle Williams’ Cindy even though she’s pregnant by another man who beat him up.  His lingering anger over that humiliating incident turns Dean into a self-loathing, insecure brute who destroys his marriage and his life.

Ryan Gosling’s stunt cyclist Luke commits armed robbery to support his pregnant girlfriend and their child in The Place Behind the Pines.  He continues to do this even after the banks install bullet-proof security glass, and is eventually shot and killed by the police.

Riz Ahmed’s Ruben abandons his new life within the deaf community in a poorly thought-out plan to reunite with his girlfriend and band mate Lou (Olivia Cooke) in Sound of Metal.  However, she’s moved on and he finds himself alone, a man who doesn’t belong in either world.

In comparison, Roofman represents a change in perspective for Cianfrance.  Unlike his prior films, the protagonist’s journey doesn’t conclude on a note of despair.  Instead, Jeffrey’s incarceration has forced him to take a long, hard look at himself and why his life turned out the way it did.  During a group session, Jeffrey admits that doing something wrong out of love can never be justified.  More importantly, he understands that his actions always hurt the ones he loves, regardless of their intent.  While this ending isn’t particularly hopeful or optimistic, it speaks to what we all like to believe we’re capable of: change.