The portrayal of a down-on-his-luck divorced father who turns to crime is becoming familiar territory for Channing Tatum as an actor. His sign in “Logan Lucky” was Charlotte Motor Speedway. In “Ruffman,” in theaters Friday, it’s McDonald. In both films, there is a young daughter he wants to impress. The big, heartbreaking difference is that “Roofman” isn’t just some fun, eccentric caper — it’s based on a wild true story, involving a prison escape, a six-month secret stay inside a Toys “R” Us, and a local girlfriend who was none the wiser about his criminal ways.
The film, directed by Derek Cianfrance, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kirt Gunn, takes some significant liberties in telling the story of Jeffrey Manchester, although several strange events actually occurred, including giving his coat to the McDonald’s employee he was robbing. He is suspected to have targeted more than 40 fast-food outlets across the country before he was captured in North Carolina.
After escaping from prison, where he was serving a 45-year sentence, he actually lived behind a bike display at a Charlotte Toys “R” Us, eating baby food to survive, decorating his makeshift bed with Spider-Man sheets and eventually started moving into the city and attending a local church where he began dating a single mother.
Jeffrey’s life of crime in “Roofman” begins with a minor insult. Already divorced, the US Army veteran asks his daughter what she wants for her 6th birthday as she blows out the candles, setting herself up for failure. She wants a bike, which is out of her price range, and has the grand idea of starting a robbery. It works until it doesn’t.
Tatum is really good at making you immediately empathetic to the plight of his character, who is written as a smart, nice guy who can never catch a break. Inside the toy store, he witnesses a jerk manager torturing his employees and becomes a modern Robin Hood, secretly adjusting the schedule to more humane hours and donating the stolen toys to a church. He is desperate to see his three children, but he knows it is too dangerous and he is waiting until his old army friend can help him escape the country. Then he meets Leah and falls in love.
“Ruffman” wants to be a few things at once, a witty, low-risk mischief-maker, a sweet romance between two bitter divorcees, and a humane portrait of how far working-class Americans have to go to survive in a system that seems stacked against them. Shot on 35mm film, it has a grainy, vintage look because it’s 2004 and suddenly it feels like a long time ago. And it mostly achieves its goals, thanks to beautiful performances from Tatum, who shows off his range, and Dunst, who does wonders with the limited material. Her Leigh is a tired, working mother who is cautiously optimistic that things might be good just for a moment, despite her new boyfriend’s fake-sounding job and tendency to give elaborate gifts. Although I would have liked her side more, at least she gets to be a character, unlike Jeff’s ex-wife who is just an obstacle to him seeing his kids. Why did they get divorced? The film never asks. Maybe because part of the answer may have something to do with it domestic disturbance 911 call That the film doesn’t touch.
“Roofman” is best experienced as a movie and a movie alone, where two charming actors deliver good performances and carry the story to its toughest parts. But it’s a little hard to digest when you try to synthesize the real Jeffrey Manchester, who seems far more complex and charming, and the movie Jeffrey Manchester. The film succeeds in serving its purpose: presenting a humane portrait of a man who will spend most of his life behind bars, in crowd-pleasing packaging. But after all, what’s the point of using the attractive parts and ignoring the unattractive parts? For a filmmaker who’s never shied away from the rougher edges of reality, “Ruffman” feels a little dishonest.
Paramount Pictures’ “Ruffman,” released in theaters Friday, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “brief sexuality, nudity and language.” Running time: 126 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
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