Quick Take: Why ‘Roofman’ is Your Next Watch
- Now Streaming: On Paramount+
- The Vibe: A ’90s nostalgia trip mixed with a “polite” true-crime heist.
- The Stars: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, and Peter Dinklage.
- The Hook: A felon hides out in a Toys “R” Us, building a secret bunker and living every Millennial’s childhood dream.
When your family’s favorite sport is channel surfing, agreeing on a movie is almost as frustrating as talking politics at the dinner table. Making it to the credits is even rarer — and this is coming from someone whose ADHD brain is on constant overdrive.
For me, it has ‘90s nostalgia (and a Spice Girls poster); for my mom’s boyfriend, the mild action was appealing; and for my mom, the romance was key. That’s the “Trifecta of Vibes” to make everyone happy. And let’s not forget the underlying absurdity, which packs an even bigger punch knowing it’s based on a true story.
Channing Tatum and the Toys ‘R’ Us Bunker
Channing Tatum’s take on Jeffrey Manchester is equal parts infuriating and charming. It’s the perfect combo for a movie that kicks off with a McDonald’s robbery and a secret bunker inside a Toys “R” Us.
Equally memorable is Kirsten Dunst’s role as his love interest, Leigh Wainscott, and Peter Dinklage’s Mitch, whose maniacal role as a toy store manager is enough to give anyone retail war zone flashbacks. The only thing missing is a Furby cameo, which I waited (im)patiently for during the entire movie. I mean, come on. You can’t have a ‘90s Toys “R” Us setting without some Furby lovin.’ I don’t make the rules.
Would you like some McDonald’s fries with that robbery?
Manchester is the kind of criminal I can get behind. His crime spree was spurred by his inability to buy his daughter a birthday bike (cue the collective ‘awws’). He’s presented as a “Good Guy,” but as an empathetic person driven to desperation, he proves that old habits die hard.
He’s also a terrible criminal. He gets caught, obviously. As someone who grew up with a “Prison Break” obsession, Manchester’s observation skills gave me major Michael Scofield vibes. But as fun as camping in a toy store sounds, isolation is its own kind of torture, making his pursuit of a “replacement” family a selfish plight doomed from the start.
Living in Toys ‘R’ Us is a millennial’s dream
What felon wouldn’t stumble across a toy store and think, “Yes. This is the perfect place to evade the cops”? For a while, it was. Geoffrey the Giraffe became Manchester’s co-conspirator (yes, that’s how he spells it, the pretentious menace).
The movie recreates a Toys “R” Us with an authenticity that brings Millennials right back to picking out one (1) toy in Geoffrey’s palace. The prop team sourced actual ’90s relics, from Spider-Man sleeping bags to that red psychopath Tickle Me Elmo. The setting was so much fun that Manchester seemed to forget he was trading one cage for another — at least this one had M&Ms.
The deeper meaning of ‘Roofman’
Beyond the ’90s chaos, “Roofman” points to a massive problem: the lack of support for vets. In 1996, two years before the real events of the film, 23% of the unhoused population were veterans. While Manchester didn’t fall into that category, he lacked the resources to use his intelligence legally. For all its comedy, “Roofman” is a case study in what happens when veterans are hung out to dry.
Fact vs. fiction: The real ‘Roofman’
- The Real Jeffrey Manchester: A former Army reservist who robbed over 40 McDonald’s locations.
- The Bunker: Manchester actually lived in a North Carolina Toys “R” Us for months, installing a baby monitor to watch employees.
- How to Watch: “Roofman” is now available to stream on Paramount+
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