The big problem with Roofman is that the movie really wants to portray Jeffrey as a great guy. And yes, he does a few “nice” things here and there. At one point he gives a coat to someone he has just locked in a freezer while robbing a McDonald’s. Which is kind of like punching someone in the face and then handing them an ice pack like you deserve credit for bedside manner. But ultimately, Jeffrey is still a thief.

Roofman is based on the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester, a divorced U.S. Army veteran in North Carolina who is struggling to provide for his three young children. Mostly broke and desperate, Jeffrey has a genius idea. He’s going to apply for a job, work his way up the corporate ladder, and finally provide for his kids and his ex-wife…..nah, I’m just kidding with you. He decides he’s going to start robbing businesses.

One of his old airborne buddies reminds him that he has a real gift for observation, and calls him the smartest and dumbest man he knows. That pretty much sums Jeffrey up for the entire movie. He starts breaking into stores through the roof at night, which gets him dubbed “The Roofman” by local law enforcement. He pulls this off around 40 times before the police finally catch him, and he ends up sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Now at this point, you’d think Jeffrey would realize he has done wrong, not just to his community but to himself, and maybe decide to turn his life around. Maybe devote himself to Christ. Maybe become a changed man and a source of hope to the people around him…nah, I’m just kidding with you. Jeffrey hatches another plan and escapes prison by hiding underneath a truck.

From there, the movie somehow gets even more ridiculous. Jeffrey sneaks into a Toys R Us as it’s closing, climbs up into the ceiling tiles, and decides this giant toy store is now going to be his new secret home base. He builds a little fort out of merchandise, rigs up cameras to spy on the store, and basically turns the place into his own weird hideout while he waits on fake IDs that will supposedly help him flee to South America.

And for a minute, the movie almost tricks you into thinking maybe this is where Jeffrey is going to show some actual humanity. He overhears a manager named Leigh talking about a church toy drive, and when her boss refuses to help, you think maybe Jeffrey will go out and use some of his saved money to do something kind. Maybe buy some toys for the kids. Maybe prove there’s a decent man somewhere under all this foolishness…..nah, of course not. He steals the toys from Toys R Us and donates them himself. 

So now he’s getting praised for generosity while literally giving away stolen merchandise. And somehow this works, because this is where he starts getting close to Leigh and her daughters. He slowly builds a relationship with them, gets welcomed into their lives, and keeps bonding with them while fully knowing that the whole thing is built on lies and that he is eventually going to break their hearts.

That’s what makes the movie so frustrating. It keeps trying to frame Jeffrey as this troubled, misunderstood guy who just can’t get out of his own way. But he’s not just making mistakes. He is actively choosing the worst possible thing over and over again. Every time life presents him with even the tiniest chance to do the right thing, he takes a hard left into stupidity.

Eventually Jeffrey learns how much money he’ll need to get the fake IDs and make his South America plan happen. So he changes Leigh’s work schedule in the store computer to make sure she shows up later, giving him time to rob the store that morning. That plan works right up until Leigh walks in during the robbery and recognizes him, even though he’s wearing a mask. He still escapes, still meets up with his contact, still hands over the money, and for one brief moment it looks like his absurd little plan might actually work.

He’s got the IDs coming. He’s got the airport setup. He’s got a contact who’s supposed to wave him through. Everything is in motion.

Then, on the morning he’s supposed to leave for South America, Leigh calls and invites him over for Christmas. And this is where the movie tries to make you think Jeffrey is torn between the life he could have and the mess he has made. He tells her he can’t come. He hangs up. He boards the plane. He leaves for South America and never sees Leigh again….nah, I’m just kidding with you.

Instead, he goes to her house and gets arrested almost immediately because she obviously knew it was him and told the police. So now, on top of everything else, he gets hit with an additional 32 years on his sentence.

And now surely, surely, Jeffrey has learned his lesson. Surely now he decides he’s done running, that he’s finally going to live out the rest of his sentence and devote himself to becoming a better man…..nah for the final time, Jeffrey tried to escape prison two more times. And that, apparently, is our hero.

That is the fundamental issue with Roofman. The movie seems fascinated by Jeffrey’s charm, his cleverness, and his odd little acts of kindness, but it never really grapples with the fact that he is an absolute scumbag of a human being. This is a man who repeatedly ruins not only his own life, but the lives of everyone around him, all while the movie keeps nudging you like, “Come on, isn’t he kind of lovable?”

No. He’s not.

He’s frustrating. Deeply frustrating. Because every single time he does anything, you already know it’s going to be the wrong choice. There’s no suspense in that. There’s just dread. You watch him move through the story like a man determined to sabotage every possible off-ramp to a better life.

So no, I do not recommend Roofman one bit. I found it incredibly frustrating from start to finish.

Now, if you want a really good thief movie, go watch Inside Man instead. You’ve got Denzel Washington trying to get everyone out safely while Clive Owen and his crew pull off a robbery that is packed with twists. Inside Man is a 10 out of 10 while Roofman is the movie that keeps asking you to admire a guy who never stops making the worst possible decision.

World War Joe