Raising the Roof?

Roofman is the media given name of real-life army veteran and serial McDonald's robber, Jeffrey Manchester, played here by Channing Tatum. Using his special talent for noticing patterns and routine, he burgled over 40 of the fast food chain's restaurants while gaining a reputation for being a polite thief. In an early scene we see him give a store manager his coat as he apologetically forces the staff into a freezer. Gentleman criminal or not, he stole a lot of corporate money, so when the police finally finger him for a single job he is sent down for forty-five years on trumped up kidnapping charges. In prison, his skills kick into gear again and he escapes on a delivery truck. Needing to lie low until his buddy can sort him out with a fake passport, he takes up residence in a Toys "R" Us for six months. Despite warnings he can't help but get involved in the lives of the people he watches on CCTV, particularly good-hearted single mum Leigh (Kirsten Dunst).

To be a successful criminal you have to be "cold and calculating", states Jeffrey's old army buddy Steve (LaKeith Stanfield), going on to say Jeff has the calculating part down to a T but will never be successful as he is unable to detach from people. This is the crux of the film, Jeffrey is incredibly smart in many ways but really dumb in others, and is desperate for the affection of others. He only turns to robbery in an attempt to gain the affections of his daughter and respect of his ex-wife. He first intervenes in the lives of the Toys "R" Us employees to counter the Grinch like behaviour of Peter Dinklage's dismissive store manager. His need to win the affection of Leigh, and even more so her kids, causes him to hang around when he should be heading for safety. The dichotomy between this sentimentality and Jeffrey's razor sharp observational skills is showcased throughout the film and the fun of watching an adult essentially treating a toy store as his playground contrasts against the sense of impending doom as he takes bigger and bigger risks. Tatum plays Jeff with enough charm and likability that you want things to work out for him against the odds. In fact, he may be a bit too charming, as you watch him effortlessly win over a table of women at lunch it becomes hard to believe this guy was struggling to get by before he turned to a life of crime.

There are several more areas where the Hollywoodification of the story bumps up against the notion that this is a true story. Living undetected behind a screen in a busy toy store is preposterous but it really happened so it's easy for the audience to swallow but some things go a little too far. A diet consisting of mainly peanut M&M's leads to Jeffrey needing some serious dental work, but he's still rocking a movie star physique when he stops off (I guess they are protein M&M's). He is also stealing and selling the store's stock on an industrial scale, enough to buy a wealth of Christmas decorations, presents and even a car. It seems unlikely that company man Dinklage would let the disappearance of thousands of dollars' worth of stock go uninvestigated, to the point he doesn't even notice the security cameras are off. Asking for a little bit of suspension of disbelief is fine, but inconsistencies distract from the heart of the film.

And the movie does have heart. The romance between Tatum and Dunst feels authentic and there is real warmth and melancholy in the relationships Jeff fosters with Leigh's daughters, as well as heartfelt sadness at the loss of contact with his own daughter. Even Emory Cohen's relatively minor store worker gets some character development come the end of the film. There are some funny moments, but it's these character interactions that are the main reason to stick with what is, once the novelty has worn off, a fairly pedestrian plot.

With a human story and strong performances there is plenty of merit to Roofman, but distractions and slow moving narrative stop it from captivating.

6 sweaters on 10 freezer bound employees.

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