ROOFMAN (4K): There's More Than Toys in the Attic

ROOFMAN (4K UHD)

2025 / 125 min

Paramount

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Burgler😺

Roofman is another one of those movies that, if unaware it was a true story, you probably wouldn’t believe a minute of it. Of course, one could still question how accurately it depicts the people and events, but what’s the fun in that? Since I knew nothing about robber/fugitive/toy store squatter Jeffrey Manchester beforehand, I found it pretty fascinating, though not the movie I was expecting.

Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey, a former soldier who struggles to hold a job after being discharged. He’s congenial and brilliant, but despite his best intentions, is also pretty irresponsible and clueless when it comes family obligations. Then he hatches a meticulous plan to start robbing local McDonald’s restaurants, always going in through the roof at night and waiting until the manager arrives the next morning. After committing over 40 robberies, he’s finally caught and sent to prison.

He later escapes and ends up hiding out in a Toys ‘R’ Us store…where he lives for months. Hiding during the day and coming out at night, these scenes amusingly show Jeffrey using what’s available to live more comfortably, which includes disabling security cameras and setting up his own surveillance system with baby monitors. He also begins to take a vested interest in some of the employees, especially single mom Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst), with whom he develops a relationship once he’s bold enough to start leaving the store.

Ultra-decaf.

Though frequently funny, especially the first half, Roofman isn’t quite the straight comedy I was expecting. Jeffrey’s exploits - both his criminal activities and life in the store - are pretty amusing. At the same time, there’s a melancholy undertone throughout the narrative. Jeffrey’s extraordinarily likable and friendly, but we suspect things won’t end well for him. More tellingly, Jeffrey himself seems increasingly aware that none of what he’s doing is sustainable…not so much through his narration, but Tatum’s affecting performance (it might be one of his best).

Similarly, the romance between Jeffrey and Leigh is charming, but what I mostly felt was sympathy for the latter at being so thoroughly duped (no matter how good Jeffrey’s intentions are). Personally speaking, what made me saddest was being constantly reminded that there aren't any more Toys 'R' Us stores. Still, as stranger-than-fiction stories go, this is a little overlong but mostly entertaining, with solid performances by a cast that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Peter Dinklage and Ben Mendelsohn in prominent supporting roles. Just don't go expecting a laugh riot.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

FEATURETTES - Based on Actual Events and Terrible Decisions is a look at the true story that inspired the film, as well as cast & director interviews; Chasing the Ghosts: The Director’s Method showcases director Derek Cianfrance; A Good Place to Hide is about the effort to recreate a new Toys ‘R’ Us store in an abandoned building where one used to be (this is the most entertaining of the bonus features); Driving Lesson is about the used car test drive sequence; Choir Practice looks at rehearsals of the church choir sequences.

DELETED/ALTERNATE SCENES