Since the early days of his movie career, Channing Tatum has been the kind of model-turned-actor who struggled to strike a balance between his breathtaking attractiveness and his acting abilities. Alternating between fluff, rom-com, and Hollywood blockbusters (“21 Jump Street,” “White House Down,” “The Lost City”) and more serious fare (“Stop-Loss,” “Foxcatcher,” “Side Effects”), even appearing in a pair of Coen Brothers movies (“Hail, Caesar!” and “The Hateful Eight”). Then, of course, there’s “Magic Mike,” in a category all its own.
More recently, in 2024’s thriller “Blink Twice,” and especially his new movie “Roofman” (Paramount/Miramax), Tatum has expanded his repertoire, exhibiting the kind of acting chops that could potentially earn him an Oscar nomination. In “Roofman,” a true story, he plays Jeffrey Manchester, a divorced vet and father of three struggling to make ends meet at the end of the 20th century. Lacking the most basic skills, except for his gift for observation (as pointed out to him by fellow vet Steve, played by LaKeith Stanfield), he turns to a life of crime, earning the nickname “Roofman,” for the string of robberies he perpetrated via the roofs of North Carolina McDonald’s restaurants.
Arrested at his daughter's birthday party (following a crazy chase scene), he is sent to prison. Utilizing his “entrance” skills to make an incredible exit from the penitentiary, he takes up residence in a Toys “R” Us, hidden behind a bicycle display. Amazingly, he manages to go unnoticed for a while, surviving on M&Ms and other cavity-producing sweets. He steals from the store’s video game stock and sells them at a pawnshop for cash. He stays seriously fit by staying active after store hours (having disabled the store’s security system), and figures out a way to observe the staff, including miscreant store manager Mitch (Peter Dinklage) and single mom salesclerk Leigh (Kirsten Dunst).
Jeffrey’s interest in Leigh leads him to make another in a long line of bad decisions. While dropping off “donations” at her church for a toy drive, he comes face-to-face with her, as well as the church’s pastor and his wife (played by Ben Mendelsohn and Uzo Aduba), who try making a match between the pair. It works, and they begin dating, only after Leigh confirms his heterosexuality (the “are you gay” scene is one of the movie’s most touching moments). But, of course, the relationship is doomed.
Depending on how you feel about narration, there’s a lot of it, the use of which makes sense when we get to the conclusion. A little too “churchy” at times, “Roofman” balances that with plenty of scenes in which Tatum is shirtless, in his underwear, and an extended bit in which he is naked. Here’s where Tatum’s acting talent comes through: he succeeds in making a thoroughly terrible person likable, at least for the length of the movie.
Rating: B-
