"Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) breaks into a roadside McDonald's through the roof, his preferred means of entry, and one that will earn him his nickname from the press. When the morning shift arrives to open, he's there to greet them wearing a balaclava and holding a rifle, assuring them he means them no harm. Jeffrey, you see, is the polite robber, leading his hostages in a chipper chorus of "Good morning!" like a demented kindergarten teacher."
"For director Derek Cianfrance, poet laureate of mournful portrayals of valiantly misguided husbands and fathers in films like The Place Beyond the Pines and Blue Valentine, something resonates in this story about a guy who's more focused on being able to buy his kid a bike and a house with a pool than he is on actually being around for her. But Roofman, which Cianfrance also co-wrote, was clearly intended to be lighter fare and instead ends up in this dissonant in-between space tonally."
Roofman follows Jeffrey Manchester, a man who repeatedly robs a McDonald's through the roof while performing solicitous gestures to his hostages and insisting he acts to provide for his family. Jeffrey's polite robber persona—welcoming the morning crew, orchestrating a "Good morning!" chorus, and even lending his jacket—renders his violence unnervingly charming. Derek Cianfrance, known for mournful portrayals of flawed fathers, leans into lighter tones here, creating tonal dissonance between comedic touches and serious moral stakes. The film often appears enamored with Jeffrey, which undercuts rigorous interrogation of his choices and the masculinity they reveal.
Read at Vulture
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]