Roofman – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Roofman – Serving Life in a Toy Store: A Character Tale

In this world, we are a fixture of the choices we make.  From intent to fate, we step through life hoping we can find that specific point where we can say, I have arrived.  Life is a foundation for stories, one that can be riveting, especially on the big screen.  In this review, I look at the latest life inspired tale.  In the matter of choice and strong performances, Roofman is an endearing tale of how to break the blinds and see what we are meant to be in this life.

When a charismatic criminal escapes prison and lives under a new guise, he will find what it really means to live a free life.  When you go into any film, expectations provide the window of what may or may not be seen.  From action to romance, genre’s add to the value of expectations.  With a true story inspired film, the filmmakers balance between showing what really happened and drama tropes.  With this tale, the blending is evident … but within that drama there is a certainty that showcases a rawness in what it means to live with your choices.  In the beginning, we are introduced to Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a discharged soldier who is trying to find new purpose after serving in the military.  Through background narration, we learn that Manchester decides to use his ‘skills’ to rob certain places in the greater Charlote area to provide a better life for his family.  After a series of robberies, he is eventually caught and put behind bars.  Being in prison leads to an unraveling of his convictions, as he decides to put his ‘skills’ again to use and escapes.  As he tries to reestablish his life, a series of plot related conveniences lead him to hide out in a local Toys-R-Us.  From this point, the tale moves away from the overall build-up to situational moments, as we follow Manchester trying to balance between leaving or staying.  Being an escape convict adds fuel to the fire, but the complexity of ‘criminality’ blurs within the flawed sense of convictions.  This leads to a strong thematic journey that blends truths into the drama like tropes.  Each scene that shows his skills in ‘trying not to get caught’ in the toy store leads to a series of endearing and comedic moments.  These situations add layers to the thematic reflection of life’s choices, leading to where circumstances highlight the truth in the blindness of conviction.  As days lead to months, Manchester begins to venture out more under a new alias.  As he starts to take more personal risks, it leads to engaging in relations with one of the store’s employees, Leigh (Kirsten Dunst).

 With a newly formed relationship, the reality of the situation starts to weigh heavily on his mind.  He still knows he is a runaway convict, but these new human connections provide a window into what life can be.  These internal struggles provide a lift to the characterization of the moment, where intent and fate start to reflect hard upon his own choices.  Through a fragile complex of human worth, Manchester knows that certain dominos will eventually fall.  As we head into the final act, those hard facts come full force, leading to a heavy telegraphed climax but a wholesome like epilogue.  Roofman showcases truth in life’s choices.  If you are a fan of true stories or character films, you will want to see this on the big screen.  Even if you’re not, I believe this film is worth the full price of admission.  

Full Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)