Un voleur sur le toit

Trailers can show too much and sometimes show too little. The trailer for this film shows you just the right amount. It is a true story, so people can cheat and look up the story of Roofman aka Jeffrey Manchester. But I do not suggest this if you intend to see the movie. I went in clueless, except for the very entertaining, neat and tidy trailer. I am glad I took this approach. I enjoyed letting the story unfold. I enjoyed the tension not knowing what will happen to Jeffrey. I enjoyed this film very, very much.

My enjoyment of the film begins with a fantastic performance from Channing Tatum as Manchester. Jefferey Manchester is a family man at heart, a man who is on the outs with that family. He has been unsuccessful at keeping a job. He is an ex-soldier, and veterans sometimes have difficult assimilating back into society. His friend Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) is not helpful. He is, let's just say, a bit shady. The advice he gives Jeffrey is equally shady. Will Jeffrey listen to Steve?

If you see the trailer, you know that Jeffrey aka Roofman ends up spending some time in a Toys R Us (the last store went out of business in 2017, but the film is set between 1998 and 2004 - which is why we also see Blockbuster Video stores). You also know from the trailer that Peter Dinklage is in it (as store manager Mitch), and that the movie also features Kirsten Dunst (as Toys R Us employee Leigh Wainscott). Adding to this strong veteran cast is Ben Mendelsohn as Pastor Ron, and Uzo Aduba as his wife and co-pastor Eileen. Throw in Juno Temple for good measure as Steve's main squeeze and "business" partner, and you will look forward to seeing all these fine actors do some of their best work.

Full disclosure; do not expect the movie to be summarized by that trailer. Oh, it is entertaining enough, but it is also much more potent emotionally than I was prepared for by seeing that trailer. Which is good thing. This movie has a wonderful depth to it that was a surprise to me. A pleasant surprise. There is already some buzz about it slipping into The Golden Globe slate of nominations, and depending on what happens there it could have further representation in other award shows. This could provide yet one more surprise.

Directed by: Derek Cianfrance Written by: Derek Cianfrance, Kirt Gunn

SUMMARY

After breaking out from prison, a convict hides out inside a Toy 'R Us store, surviving undetected for months. However, his secret life begins to unravel as he falls for a divorced mom. Ultimately, despite being given a chance to escape the country, he risks everything to say goodbye - and is caught in the act.

RATING

B

Roofman tells the true story of Jeff Manchester, who escaped prison and hid out inside a Toys 'R Us. The movie captures his ingenuity and resourcefulness with flair, but it falters emotionally, drifting into a middling family drama halfway through. Lacking a true moment of crisis, the story feels predictable and safe. In the end, Roofman is a very good film that never quite dares to be great.

I've been anticipating this film for a long time and I heard rumors it would be playing for the mystery movie and I knew I had to get my tickets immediately. This film is so emotional and i truly didn't expect this film to get me near tears at the end of the movie. I think the story here was absolutely brilliant and I couldn't believe this was based on a true story as it seemed too insane to be real but it's actually a true story which blew me away. The writing here is great and there's some beautiful chemistry between Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst in this film and they portray such an intriguing couple with the challenges Jeffrey has gone through and what he's hiding from her. Channing Tatum is phenomenal and honestly may have delivered one of his best performances I've ever seen. Kirsten Dunst also has an incredible performance and really portrays such an interesting character here and I just started to feel bad for her character in this movie. This couple dynamic gets so sad near the end of the film and it almost had me crying due to how emotional this films gets and the depressing thing that happens at the end. There's also a beautiful blend of comedy which had me absolutely dying and Tatum delivers some hilarious scenes especially one with him and Mitch played by Peter Dinklage. I don't have a whole lot of complaints for this movie but sometimes near the second half of the film it definitely does slow down quite a lot and some scenes drag on just a little longer than they should be. I just really enjoy this film and there's not a whole lot of complaints for it and I'm definitely recommending this film for sure to people and this is definitely worth checking out.

Saw this during a sneak preview. Keeping in mind the movie is based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester.

The first half of the movie was very entertaining and moved along well with quite a few laughs.

The second half seemed to slow down a lot. I was also wanting to look at my phone to see how much time was left at that point. It does seem it could have been made a much shorter film.

Was nice seeing Tatum in this type of movie. Dunst did good as well.

It was a good movie but was really hoping for a different ending for this guy!

What I most admired about this film was the restraint. Small town America, a story told perfectly. No hyperbole, very little moralising and a great deal of fun, particularly showcasing the hero's gymnastic abilities. But he was a low key hero, just working to solve everyday problems, how to find food, where to sleep. Two believable children, Kirsten Dunst putting in a good performance. Somebody worked hard on this script, the pastor and his wife providing an excellent comedy routine, Ben Mendelssohn in particular was excellent. Even the accomplice spoke perfectly believable commonsense, saying to the hero (I am paraphrasing) your practical skills are good but you are weak on the emotional level.