Roofman

Directed by Derek Cianfrance, Roofman follows Channing Tatum’s Jeffrey as he escapes from prison and begins living inside a big-box toy store – with complications ensuing after Jeffrey finds himself falling for a single mother named Leigh (Kirsten Dunst). Filmmaker Cianfrance, armed with his and Kirt Gunn’s screenplay, delivers a palpably overlong yet consistently entertaining endeavor that benefits from its appealing narrative and raft of agreeable performances, with, in terms of the latter, Tatum’s incredibly engaging and sympathetic turn matched by eclectic periphery players like LaKeith Stanfield and Ben Mendelsohn. (Peter Dinklage, cast as the manager of the aforementioned toy store, is especially good here.) It’s clear, too, that Roofman receives plenty of amusing mileage out of Jeffrey’s ongoing attempts at turning his new digs into a home, and there’s little doubt, as well, that the tentative relationship between Tatum and Dunst’s respective characters is as pleasant and compelling as one might’ve hoped. And while the 126 minute runtime does result in a less-than-streamlined second half, with the emphasis on Jeffrey and Leigh’s domestic exploits bordering on excessive, Roofman builds to an emotionally affecting final stretch that confirms its place as a better-than-average true-life tale.

*** out of ****