Roofman Finally Gives Channing Tatum His Career-Defining Role

Here is the kind of studio movie I miss: smart, funny, a little melancholy, and anchored by a star doing career-best work. That is the pitch for 'Roofman,' and yeah, I was surprised too.

What it is (and why the setup is wild)

Based on a true story, 'Roofman' follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a former U.S. Army officer who drifts into robbery to keep his family afloat. He gets nailed by the justice system, breaks out, and then decides to disappear in one of the most bizarre hideouts imaginable: a Toys "R" Us in Charlotte, North Carolina. It sounds like a gimmick. It is not. The movie leans into the oddness without winking at you every five seconds.

Tatum, re-reinvented

Tatum rebuilt his image years ago as the charming goof who could also act. This is that mode, but deeper and more focused. His Manchester is sharp and observant, yet almost too decent to function as a real criminal. The opening robbery tells you everything: he hits a McDonald’s, locks the staff in the freezer, realizes one person doesn’t have a jacket, and hands over his own to keep the kid from freezing. That is the guy we’re watching. You root for him even as he keeps making choices that will obviously blow up later.

Derek Cianfrance, gentler than you expect

Derek Cianfrance (the guy who made 'Blue Valentine' and 'The Place Beyond the Pines') dials down the doom this time. It is still grounded and honest, but the touch is lighter, more generous. The vibe skews toward that 70s character-movie groove, the kind that would have been a Paul Newman or Robert Redford special back in the day. It is a human-scale comedy-drama that trusts you to sit with messy people and care about them.

The romance is the whole point

Once Manchester burrows into the toy store, he crosses paths with Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a single mom with good instincts and a lousy boss. She tries to get some returned toys donated to a church drive, and Manchester, eavesdropping, finds a way to help. One thing leads to another, and he is suddenly on the radar of her church community, led by a music-loving husband-and-wife team (Ben Mendelsohn and Uzo Aduba) who immediately decide he is perfect for her. He sort of is.

From there, it turns into a genuinely affecting love story. Tatum plays Manchester with this shy, puppy-dog energy — the guy who cannot quite hold eye contact with the woman he is falling for, even though he is built like a superhero. Dunst is terrific as Leigh: warm, pragmatic, and just wary enough from past experience to question whether this sweetness is real. Watching her kids warm to him is catnip, and also nerve-wracking, because you can feel the timer ticking. Movies about real-life cons usually do not end with everyone living happily ever after, which gives the relationship an ache that never tips into sap.

Cast, crew, and the Toys "R" Us of it all

• Jeffrey Manchester: Channing Tatum, bringing a career-high performance
• Leigh: Kirsten Dunst, sharp, kind, and quietly funny
• Leigh’s boss: Peter Dinklage, in full petty tyrant mode
• Church leaders: Ben Mendelsohn and Uzo Aduba, a singing husband-and-wife duo with matchmaking on the brain
• Director: Derek Cianfrance, trading his usual grimness for something warmer without softening the edges
• Setting highlight: a covert life inside a Charlotte Toys "R" Us, used for rich character business instead of cheap laughs

So, is it great?

Honestly, yes. This is the kind of mainstream release we do not get enough of: grounded, romantic, emotionally precise, and flat-out entertaining. Paramount has a winner on its hands if people show up. It is one of the best things I have seen this year, and one of the few studio movies that genuinely gave me that old-school rush — right there with 'F1,' 'Sinners,' 'Caught Stealing,' and 'Weapons.' If there is any justice, Tatum and Dunst will be in the awards conversation.

My score: 9/10. Call it 'Amazing.'