Roofman

Based on a true story of one Mr. Jeffrey Manchester, a man who infamously camped out on the roof of a Toys R' Us... and a McDonald's... and probably even a library if he got a second shot. I was moreso expecting Roofman to be a crime-tinged comedy about this guy who - miraculously - stays under the radar at this store and all kinds of kooky, quirky hijinks he gets into. And while, yes, this does take place throughout the movie, I was met with themes of heartbreak, regret, and vulnerability - the tone actually surprised me. Director Derek Cianfrance blends a sentimental mix of humor and drama, and this is helped by a stacked cast of players. I haven't seen many performances from Channing Tatum, but he was absolutely phenomenal as Manchester. The way he portrays this guy - someone who persists in doing something good for himself even though the things he does is bad in nature - makes him a criminal that you feel overly sympathetic for - very, very rare emotion for me to feel. Add to that the dread of knowing that, at some point, shit will go left and he'll have nowhere to run. Very devastating in parts. Awards-wise... marketing may have killed Oscar cred as many (such as myself) thought it would be a full-fledged comedy, but I do see accolades for Tatum in the future if he keeps at the medium. The supporting cast is also good: Kirsten Dunst... my goodness... a very charismatic, romantic counterpart for Tatum's character. Their final moments had me fighting sweat, and makes me hope they do something together in the near future. There's not enough LaKeith Stanfield as the former war buddy running a shady ID operation, and Juno Temple as his partner. It was also nice seeing Peter Dinklage play an asshole boss to Dunst, and I felt warm, fuzzy feelings seeing Ben Mendelsohn and Uzo Aduba as a friendly married couple running a church that Dunst (and soon Tatum) attends. Even though a good chunk of the second half takes place around Christmas time, it isn't advertised as such... but dare I say it, it may be a new selection in my lineup of holiday movies. A feel-good but moving time to be had by all. Shame Geoffrey the giraffe couldn't make a cameo... I guess he considers himself the Mickey Mouse of the toy store medium?!