Details from IMDB:
Roofman
A charismatic criminal, while on the run from the police, hides in a hidden space of a toy store. There, he adopts a new identity and becomes involved with an employee, beginning a relationship as unlikely as it is risky.
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Initial Thoughts:
I had heard about this movie from Rebecca (“TV Show in Space” and “Geekshow Podcast”) and a friend of mine, Steph, who both enjoyed it. I’ve always liked Channing Tatum, and I hadn’t seen Kirsten Dunst in anything in a long time. So when I noticed this was on Paramount+ (and I had the time) I gave it a watch.
Main Points:
I’m always more interested in a movie that’s based on a true story, and yes, of course, I know lots of things are changed, but still, when it’s about real people, that’s always a plus. Channing Tatum does a great job here, as does Kirsten Dunst, and we get to see a real range of emotion from the two of them. You feel for Jeffery, the Roofman, as he has all of this talent but doesn’t know how to apply it to be successful in civilian life and just goes down the wrong path that leads to a life of crime. He is a likable character and not a typical criminal, even going so far as to give one of the victims a coat so he’s not too cold in the McDonald’s freezer. I really liked Leigh, Kirsten Dunst’s character, as well. She is a good person who is very forward and direct. She knows what he wants and has the wonderful trait of seeing the good in others and doing what she can to help those who she sees as struggling.
Some of the best parts of the movie are seeing what he gets up to while living in this hidden spot in a Toys ‘R’ Us for six months! He tries to keep to himself, but gets lonely and ends up dating Leigh and leads a peculiar double life. I think the themes here are really interesting; it’s a good examination of how a church should act. What it means to be a good person, the nature of forgiveness, and that it’s not money and items that make you happy, it’s being yourself and showing up for the people who care about you. The point is clearly made that while Jeffery is a criminal and capable of violence (the only bloody scene has him pistol-whip a security guard), he cares about others and is contrasted with Mitch, an uncaring/mean boss at the Toys ‘R’ Us who is played quite well by Peter Dinklage.
Final Thoughts:
I found myself wondering in this movie how choices affect our lives. How many bad choices does it take before you’re a career criminal? How quickly do we judge others and laugh at them when, really, they are just crying out for help? Did the justice system/society/the military all fail Jeffery and leave him with no other choice but a life of crime? There’s no answer here, but I strongly encourage you to watch the movie right through to the end of the credits, as they show many of the real people the film was based on, and you learn what happened to Jeffery after he went back to jail. Please don’t let your kids watch this, plenty of coarse language, some nudity and some violence, all mean ages 18+. I give this a solid 8 out of 10 and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a dark comedy/romance. I didn’t find it long and was a little sad when it ended, which is always a sign of how much I enjoyed a movie. I hope to see Kirsten Dunst in more films. It was also a treat to hear not only her but also Ben Mendelsohn and Uzo Aduba singing!