Roofman

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.

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!

The movie has a lot to offer. Channing Tatum makes a fantastic and charming lead, and his acting his top-notch on several occassions. His reaction when he gets sentenced to 45-years in jail is impressive, with the tears welling up in his eyes ... The movie is based on a criminal who commits robberies. A common issue with these sort movies is that the protagonist doesn't come off as likable. But that's not the case at all here ... The most fun parts of the movie are clearly the opening and finale. Those parts focus on his criminal exploits, which are so paradoxly simple yet ingenious. If the movie weren't based on a true story, I would have called it unbelievable that someone could escape from prison and hide at a Toys R' Us in the manner depicted in the movie

The movie has a nice soundtrack. There's some elegant cinematography, such as one scene involving a Christmas balloon near the end. There is a late-1990s to mid-2000s vibe in the movie: you might nostaglia over seeing pay-phones, Toys R' Us, Blockbuster, and 1990s-style baggy pants.

The movie isn't perfect. The big flaw is that the blending of the genres isn't always done so smoothly . It's a crime movie at its core, but the movie also becomes part-comedy, part-romance, and part-family drama. Infact, the latter 2 - the romance and family drama - get so serious. Those parts become awkward contrast with the scattered comedy.

Related to that criticism, I have to admit that I didn't completely enjoy the middle portions, which focus on Tatum + Kirsten Dunst's romance as well as the domestic situation involving Kirsten Dunst's daughters. Though Tatum and Dunst have good chemistry, the movie basically becomes a straight Lifetime-ish romantic drama for a bit; and I found myself yawning

8.0/10.

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.

7.0/10 (Recommend)

I have been looking forward to this one since I've seen the trailer, and honestly I was not disappointed. While the pacing is a little slow, and in the second half things seem to drag slightly, it's still an enjoyable story. Despite the slightly slow pacing it doesn't feel like you're watching a movie. The way scenes are captured it feels like you're part of the action, or at the very least a fly on the wall.

Channing Tatum is a lot of fun in the role of Jeffery Manchester, and the chemistry him and Kirsten Dunst have is satisfying. Sure he's a criminal and she's just an oblivious single mother, but they feel natural together and you can't help but cheer for a positive outcome.

The film isn't overly funny, but it has some funny bits where you can at least chuckle. The vibe is that this is a slightly more serious, "emotional" film than it is a comedy. And it may look like a family movie, but be mindful that there are a few n-words thrown around, a sex scene or two, and a brief nip slip. Oh no, not a nip slip, you say. Well, some may be concerned with the content they take in or what their kids or teens watch so I mention it.

Overall, this is definitely a film to see in theatres even. The true story and the Hollywood story may be overdramatized, but this story will definitely entertain. While the pacing is a little slow, the story pulls you in and makes you feel like you're part of the adventure. Channing is fun, Kirsten is loveable, and you just want to see the bad guy succeed because he lures you in perfectly.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking time to read my review. Happy watching and enjoy the show!