“Roofman” climbs high but falls flat
Graphic by Sienna Lewis, Staff Photographer
“Roofman” should’ve been a documentary. The film opened with the words “This is a true story,” which I didn’t register until the credits.
The movie follows Jeffery Manchester (Channing Tatum), a clever and charismatic criminal who, while on the run from the police, hides out in a Toys R Us and falls in love with an employee named Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst). His antics are unbelievably risky, and yet he always manages to get away with them.
Jeffery is a man who just wants the best for his family. He is ex-military and about to be ex-married if he can’t get his life together. The first few scenes of the film set up Jeffery’s brilliance: his ability to see the world in ways others can’t. His close friend Steve (LaKeith Stanfield), who is already involved in criminal activity, convinces Jeffery that he is capable of it too.
We are supposed to care about Jeffery because he wants to be a family man. He just wants to be able to afford a bike for his daughter. So, like all rational people, he robs a McDonald's.
His signature move is breaking in through the roof, garnering the nickname “Roofman,” and while he is committing a crime, he is so nice that the employees he stuffs in the restaurant’s freezers don’t have a single bad thing to say about him.
The film spends a considerable amount of time trying to make you like Jeffrey Manchester, attempting to get you to understand his reasoning and convince you that he is a family man, but I truly didn’t feel any sympathy for this character. He had no faults other than the aforementioned criminality, and the whole film felt very surface-level. But this is what happens when you try to follow the rules of a true story.
This film was a retelling of real events, and it got so caught up in trying to tell this ridiculous story that it lost the potential for emotional depth. The film attempts to recover with scenes of wannabe emotional dialogue and voiceovers that come across as cringey rather than tear-jerking.
The narrative format had me questioning things. How did he not get caught escaping prison? How could someone so smart be so dumb? How is he wandering around the city and nobody recognizes the most wanted man in America? The whole time, I felt like it wasn’t a believable story and there were too many plot holes. I forgot that it was a true story.
A documentary version of “Roofman” could have provided exactly what was needed for this film to make an impact. Think “McMillions,” the series about the McDonald's monopoly game fraud scheme, or “Dirty Pop,” which is about the boy band manager who ran one of America’s largest Ponzi schemes. Both docuseries uncover crime scandals that sound too crazy to be true. This format would have given the space to reveal this whole story without the viewers ever questioning the possibilities.
Tatum’s performance was different, much different than what I’ve seen him in before. I don’t think I’m ready for him to play this middle-aged suburban husband type. Even when he was busy falling in love with Leigh Wainscott, it felt like watching a teenager act like an adult. From his ill-fitting wardrobe to his uncomfortable dialogue, I couldn’t figure out who he was trying to be.
I also couldn’t figure out what exactly I was supposed to learn. I think what the film was trying to say was that material goods aren’t worth your family and freedom, but what level-headed person would rob a McDonald's to save their marriage? This confusion happens when you try to rationalize an irrational story.
Once the credits rolled, I was reminded for the first time since the opening that this was a true story. There are photos of the real Jeffery Manchester and his family, news recordings of the original “Roofman” investigation, and even interviews with the people who were involved in the actual scandal. This is what sealed the deal to me that it should have been a documentary.
They had all the pieces to make a really compelling story that told of a man who would do anything to help his family. A story that is too crazy to be true, but it is, and that would make it so incredibly fascinating.
If they just wanted to retell this insane part prison escape, part love story, they could've made it a Netflix documentary. The film was a good time and had some genuinely funny moments, but missed the mark on what it was trying to accomplish.
