Channing Tatum delivers a career best performance in "Roofman"

Sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction in director Derek Cianfrance’s film Roofman from Paramount Pictures. Cianfrance co-wrote the script with Kirt Gunn in a movie that successfully juggles absurdity, empathy, and emotional heft.

Based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester—the so-called “Rooftop Robber” who, in the 1990s, politely held up McDonald’s restaurants by breaking in through their ceilings—this wild ride of a film finds its rhythm somewhere between heartfelt character study and offbeat caper comedy.

Channing Tatum stars as Manchester, and in what may very well be the finest performance of his career, he turns a real-life outlaw into a complex, magnetic figure. After being sentenced to 45 years in prison, Manchester escapes and hides out in, of all places, a Toys “R” Us.  

From there, he builds a secret home between aisles of dolls and bicycles—a plastic paradise for a man lost between innocence and guilt. It’s funny, it’s tragic, and it’s completely bonkers. Cianfrance knows how to find poetry in desperation.

While the film occasionally flirts with farce, there’s always an undercurrent of melancholy—a sense that Manchester’s crimes are born from a longing to reclaim something pure he’s long since lost. When he meets Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a single mom working at the store, their connection adds a touch of redemption to his madness.  

Dunst is luminous here, reminding us why she’s one of Hollywood’s most quietly powerful actresses. Their chemistry feels spontaneous and deeply human, turning what could have been a gimmick into something genuinely tender. A strong supporting turn also arrives from LaKeith Stanfield who continues to build a resume an old battle buddy of Jeff.

While the always delightful Peter Dinklage pops up as the no-nonsense toy store manager adding texture and humor to the story. Dinklage steals every scene he’s in with perfectly timed deadpan exasperation. There's also great moments from Ben Mendelsohn, Juno Temple ,Melonie Diaz, Uzo Aduba, Lily Collias and Jimmy O. Yang all of who come into contact with Jeff.

At its core, Roofman is a funny, touching, and strangely uplifting tale about a man who built a home on a rooftop and found a heart beneath it.

Final Grade: A-

"Roofman" is in theaters now .