{"id":2115596,"date":"2025-10-25T22:28:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T22:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2115596"},"modified":"2025-10-25T22:28:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T22:28:21","slug":"roofman-is-a-feel-good-true-crime-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/roofman-is-a-feel-good-true-crime-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Roofman&#8217; Is a Feel-Good True-Crime Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Roofman<\/em> is a marvel. Derek Cianfrance\u2019s true-crime comedy-drama has flopped at the box office, but it\u2019s one of the year\u2019s best movies and boasts one of star Channing Tatum\u2019s finest performances. It\u2019s the unbelievable true story of Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum), who, after being convicted of armed robbery, escapes prison and takes refuge in a North Carolina Toys R Us, where he spies attractive co-worker Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) and gradually comes out of hiding, embedding himself in Leigh\u2019s church community and wooing the single mom of two girls.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\"\/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><em>Roofman<\/em> Is a Rare True-Crime Movie<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If that sounds like a sweaty rom-com setup, rest assured, <em>Roofman<\/em> is anything but that. A surprising amount of the film\u2019s plot reflects exactly what happened in real life, down to the detail at times, and documentary-style inserts amidst the closing credits reiterate how ripped-from-the-headlines <em>Roofman<\/em> is. The magic of Cianfrance\u2019s film is that it does justice to each prong of its admittedly tricky narrative. It\u2019s a romantic comedy, a heist thriller, an on-the-run adventure, a second-chance-at-life movie, and a heartbreaking moral drama all at once, but one tone never overtakes the other.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Manchester earned the \u201cRoofman\u201d moniker for his modus operandi: pummelling holes in the roofs of fast food establishments, namely McDonald\u2019s but also a few Burger Kings, and corralling the employees into the walk-in freezer while he makes off with the loot. As far as armed robbers go, Manchester was a fairly benevolent one. In the news clips during the credits, we hear that he would often encourage employees to don their coats before confining them. The opening scene shows us as much, with Tatum\u2019s Manchester bequeathing an under-prepared employee (Tony Revolori) with his own coat before shutting the freezer door. Dunst\u2019s character is similarly based in reality. Leigh Moore, n\u00e9e Wainscott, appears during the credits to share her and her daughter\u2019s memories of Manchester, whom she dated while he hid out in the Toys R Us. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have anything bad to say,\u201d Moore says of her daughter\u2019s memories of that time.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">It&#8217;s One of Channing Tatum&#8217;s Best Roles<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This is the best movie so far from Cianfrance, who directed the harrowing dramas <em>Blue Valentine <\/em>(2010) and <em>A Place Beyond the Pines<\/em> (2012). <em>Roofman<\/em> is a notable change of pace, rooting itself in a small-town charm and the rambling, hazily photographed milieu of the 1970s, to which the film owes much in both style and tone. As Manchester, Tatum is as good as he\u2019s ever been on screen. He\u2019s charming, but there\u2019s a quiet dangerousness lurking beneath his surface that none of the other characters can quite put a finger on. <em>Roofman<\/em> at once sympathizes Manchester and seeks to find reason for his life of crime, but it doesn\u2019t acquit him of the harm he caused. Dunst is likewise spectacular, imbuing Leigh with a wizened sarcasm that plays nicely off of the scenes in which she has to play puppy-dog affection with Tatum. Hers is the most complicated part in the film, and even her eyeliner works overtime to deliver an utterly heartrending performance.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;p&gt;Paramount&lt;\/p&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"480\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/xXtjjoBGmb__u1q.Wu8mzg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ4MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/men_s_journal_718\/5e2f9c4c46501f139c4360a49358ba93\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The rest of the cast includes Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Ben Mendelsohn, and Uzo Aduba in small but pivotal supporting roles. This is one of the rare movies in which the ensemble is just that, with even the actors in the tiniest roles given a moment or two to play front and center. Roofman takes its time to develop its story and characters, and once it gets rolling, its rather shocking how much you find yourself invested in these people. If you don\u2019t know Manchester\u2019s story, save any deep dives for after the movie. Not knowing how it ends is much of the joy. And of the ending, Cianfrance has crafted one of the loveliest, most uplifting, and simultaneously heartbreaking finales to a major studio movie in quite a while. The final frames are a risky leap, but the film lands with grace. Roofman is unmissable.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><em>Roofman<\/em> is in cinemas nationwide and available to rent on Amazon Prime Video from Nov. 11.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><i>This story was originally reported by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mensjournal.com\/entertainment\/roofman-channing-tatum-true-story\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Men's Journal;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Men&#8217;s Journal<\/a> on Oct 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mensjournal.com\/entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment<\/a> section. Add Men&#8217;s Journal as a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=mensjournal.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roofman is a marvel. Derek Cianfrance\u2019s true-crime comedy-drama has flopped at the box office, but it\u2019s one of the year\u2019s best movies and boasts one of star Channing Tatum\u2019s finest performances. It\u2019s the unbelievable true story of Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum), who, after being convicted of armed robbery, escapes prison and takes refuge in a North [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2115597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[320289,350311,362271,350306,401032],"class_list":["post-2115596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-channing-tatum","tag-derek-cianfrance","tag-jeffrey-manchester","tag-kirsten-dunst","tag-leigh-moore"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Roofman-Is-a-Feel-Good-True-Crime-Drama.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2115596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2115598,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115596\/revisions\/2115598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2115597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2115596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2115596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2115596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}