The saddest romantic comedy ever, or perhaps the most lighter tragedy in several years, Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman” is a movie that perfectly embodies the description of its protagonist delivered by a forensic carer halfway through the film.
“He is a very smart individual, probably brilliant level,” says the prison guard. “He is also a complete idiot.”
There you have Jeffrey Manchester, a real army veteran that robbed 40-some McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in the ceiling, was sent to prison for 45 years, fled, lived undetected in a toys “for six months and risked everything by romanceing a church single mom.
His dazzling contradictions form the bedrock in Cianfrance Film, which embraces the duality by playing the charm and similarity of a Rom-Com couple whose meeting stress involves a prison and a bag of stolen toys. Cianfrance’s last films-the upcoming relationship story “Blue Valentine”, the several generation epic “The Place Beyond the Pines” and the important “light between the sea” has been predominantly dark. “Roofman” feels easier, friendlier and more fun.
But as the Paramount Pictures movie continues, its entertainment plays in the shadow of an all-but-excellent ruin; This is a movie that feel Nice, but only if you can ignore what comes to these characters.
There is still a very good reason why Channing Tatum was chosen to play Manchester. The film tells us that Jeffrey is a good guy despite robbing McDonald’s in an attempt to support the three children he and his foreign wife have. It is easier to remove the string of criminals if the crime is played by the simply charming tatum, which in some way makes us think he is just a little misleading.
“This is the part of the story where I hope you wonder how a nice guy I got involved in this,” he says in a voiceover in the film’s opening moment, and it is to his credit that we swallow the “nice guy like me”. (I mean, hey, he gave McDonald’s boss his hoodie before he locked the guy in the fridge!)
Jeffrey, we say by his old army friend Steve (Lakeith Stanfield), has the remarkable ability to label things that others do not, which makes him an asset in war zones and also in small towns with restaurants mature for robbery. And when he is sent to prison for one of the robberies that goes badly, his competence set also means that he can find out how he comes out.
The problem is the whole genius/idiot thing. Jeffrey wants to stay in the Charlotte area because this is where his children are, even if he knows that contact them would result in immediate arrest. He stumbles on a toys “R” shop and hides there, first in a crawl space and later in a more luxurious hiding place he fashion behind a wall of bikes.
All this plays with a light touch, and with music by Christopher Bear who manages to be playful and a little sentimental even in the prison scenes. Between the tone of the film and the lightweight appeal of Tatum, “Roofman” gives us a little choice than to root for Jeffrey, even when he puts on roller skates and makes some questionable Tom Cruise/”Risky Business” moves in the Toy Store aisles or attacks Tickle Me Elmo Display in a frustration.
And while he doesn’t really mean to start romance Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst) when he brings a bag of pilfered goods to toy operations that she runs in a local church, he does it so naturally and she responds so eagerly that we also have to root them too. It helps that Dunst is grounded as always, and under normal circumstances they would be an ideal Rom-com pair.
But these are not normal circumstances. Cianfrance’s movie can play like a Rom-Com, but Rome and Com take place under a gigantic shadow; No matter how much you want to see these crazy children succeed, you cannot ignore that it will not happen to beat you down to cozy secret in the city where law enforcement knows how he looks and searches for him simply will not happen.
So this is a rom-com with a big but. There is a hysterical scene where Jeffrey bathes in the Toy Store toilet when the store manager (Peter Dinklage) unexpectedly and confronts the strong naked intruder … but It just means he will probably be caught before. There is a fun scene where Jeffrey and Leigh Shop for a used car and his wild drive help to cook tension with Leigh’s teenage daughter … but A photo of the happy family with their new car can only be another opportunity for someone to discover Jeffrey.
“Roofman” has both roads; It is fun and previous, sweet and worrying, light on the feet but with an inevitable undertone of worry, even fears. Jeffrey works hard to keep far too many balls in the air – relationships, hide places, escape plans like Steve and his girlfriend are composed (Juno Temple) – while Leigh puts on a brave face that cannot hide her increasing doubt (something that Dunst is exceptionally good at transforming without paying attention to what she does).
The Tonal Jonglling Act is not always seamless, but in a way the contradictions are what gives the “Takman” his life. It’s a sad movie, really, but it’s also a lot of fun. And if it doesn’t make sense, maybe that’s the whole point.
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