ROOFMAN
Starring: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba, Lily Collias, Dee Wainscott, and Peter Dinklage
Director: Derek Cianfrance
NICK
There’s no doubt that Roofman is the strongest performance of Channing Tatum’s career. In fact, this is likely the mold for his ideal leading-man role. There’s comedy, romance, goofiness, a hint of toughness, and tons of heart. Think Tom Hanks in the 90s but more of a badass. A lesser performance would’ve made Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) hard to root for, but with the heart Tatum infuses into this real life story, you can’t help but want to see him succeed in some way. Add in solid supporting performances (Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage), and this film ends up better than it has any right to be.
ADRIANO
Based on the trailer for Roofman, I was afraid director/co-writer Derek Cianfrance was gonna ditch his knack for emotionally driven character stories for a more studio-driven comedy. While the film doesn't shy away from the absurdity of this true story, mainly due in part to Channing Tatum's charming goofiness, what grabbed me the hardest about Roofman was Cianfrance's writing that mixes weirdness with true humanity. Even when it leans into the "criminal with a heart of gold" idea, the empathy it decides to focus on in regards to Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) leads to effective emotional beats.
AMARÚ
Roofman epitomizes what it means to be solid. It harkens back to the ‘90s classics of my childhood that were no flash, fully grounded, endearing stories with substantial performances. I can’t say I’ve ever been more attuned to a non-sci-fi Kirsten Dunst role, but I can say that this is arguably Channing Tatum’s best work. Whether you agree will come down to your comedy or drama preference, but either way, he succeeds in making me root for a character who deserved no such appraisal. He humanizes the good, bad, and ugly of his real-life counterpart, and both actors are a huge reason Roofman is undeniably rewatchable.
QUENTIN
Roofman is a charming love story featuring charming performances that surely will charm a non-discerning couple on date night. No, it’s not particularly memorable, but it’s a highly rewatchable blend of comedy, heart, and 90s nostalgia. Yet, I was left wondering why I was rooting for this dirtbag. Because he’s polite? All of Jeffrey Manchester’s (Channing Tatum) rough edges have been sanded down to create an almost algorithm-generated leading man that ladies may fawn over. That’s fine, I suppose, but it makes for an overly sugarcoated, crowd-pleasing movie seemingly afraid to explore the more complicated themes present in fear of losing general audiences (and box office revenue).
PAIGE
Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman is a surprisingly endearing ride that takes a bizarre true story and turns it into a funny, heartwarming, yet somewhat sad tale. Channing Tatum delivers some of his best work too, demonstrating a great chemistry with Kirsten Dunst. Overall, there really is a lot to truly enjoy, whether it’s the crime elements, the outlandish comedy, or the lighthearted family affair. However, with everything crammed into its plot, the movie does spread itself a bit too thin. As the film goes on, you can feel it lose momentum during the periods when not much happens.
BODE
I’ve long found Derek Cianfrance to be an underrated filmmaker, as he has an innate ability to infuse the most tragic stories with open-hearted empathy without ever being manipulative. Roofman keeps to that very standard, even while changing gears creatively, as this is, refreshingly, much lighter than his previous projects. Cianfrance tackles the numerous contradictions of its real-life subject with a mostly successful balance of humour and melancholy, one that plays to Channing Tatum’s strengths as a performer, both internally and physically. Add in some solid chemistry with Kirsten Dunst (always great), and you’ve got a low-key charmer.
This film was reviewed by Nick, Adriano, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2025 Zurich Film Festival, respectively.