Lamar Reviews - "Roofman" (Airdate 10/17/2025)

If you have been listening to my reviews you know
that I have a list of actors that, if they are in it, I will
see it, period. That list is Denzel, Clint Eastwood,
Tommy Lee Jones, Morgan Freeman, and Gene
Hackman when he was alive, to name just a few.
Channing Tatum has never been on that list but
I’m thinking about adding him. I haven’t seen
every movie he’s been in. I’ve seen a lot of his
movies and have really enjoyed him, except for
Magic Mike’s Last Dance. The terrible chemistry
between him and Salma Hayek was very hard to
watch. Channing Tatum has this unbelievable
charm that makes him so likeable that you love to
watch him on the screen. That charm is present in
every scene in this movie. So much so that you
have to keep reminding yourself that the person
he portraying is a criminal.
This movie is based on a true story that happened
in Charlotte N.C. I checked the facts against what
was shown in the movie, and what actually
happened in real life. Just like all “based on a true

story” movies, they add and subtract things. This
movie stayed closer to the facts than most of
these types of movies I’ve ever watched.
Jeffrey Manchester went to prison for breaking
through the roof of a McDonalds, waiting for
employees to open up, locking them in the cooler,
and taking a bank bag full of cash. He escaped,
lived in Toy-R-Us for months, met a woman at
church, and fell in love with her and her two
daughters. You can’t make this stuff up. It is an
unbelievable story that if it wasn’t absolutely true it
would be a stupid terrible movie.
Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, Kirsten
Dunst plays Leigh Wainscott, his love interest.
Peter Dinklage plays Mitch, the Toys-R-Us
manager.
The movie is 2 hours and 6 minutes, Rated R for
language, nudity, (yes, it’s him), and brief
sexuality, (no ladies, don’t get your hopes up.)
This movie is way better than it should be. If you
look at the movie poster or even the trailer you are
thinking laugh out loud comedy. You would be

correct on the laugh out loud part, but it is not a
comedy. It is way more than that.
We feel for Manchester who served his country in
the military, but when he got out, he couldn’t find a
way to use his skills to provide for his family, until
he did, and it was illegal, now he is in prison.
His Wife divorced him. When he escaped, he met
a divorced woman with 2 girls, and he fell in love
with the whole family. He is still a criminal. The
chemistry between Tatum and Dunst really sold
what the relationship meant to Manchester, and
what he was willing to risk to have it. As he is
politely robbing and stealing, Channing Tatum is
so charming and likeable that we are on his side
and want him to get away. And yet, he is still a
criminal. Just like Tony on the Sopranos we have
to keep reminding ourselves he is a criminal.
When you leave this movie, you are not sure
exactly how you feel about the outcome. To me,
that is the mark of a well-made movie.

My Score: 5 Cold Buds