Channing Tatum’s Roofman earns a standing ovation at TIFF, the film will be released in India on Lionsgate Play soon
The true crime thriller, Roofman is based on the real-life Jeffrey Manchester, known as Rooftop Robber
What happens when Hollywood’s favorite charmer takes on the role of a criminal who walked the tightrope between comedy and tragedy? At the Toronto International Film Festival, audiences got their answer – responding with a thunderous standing ovation. Channing Tatum, often remembered for his charm and dance moves, delivers what critics are already calling the most mature performance of his career in Roofman. Based on the true story of Jeffrey “Rooftop Robber” Manchester, the film will stream in India soon on Lionsgate Play s following its theatrical release.
Manchester’s story sounds like something out of a movie: breaking into dozens of McDonald’s outlets through the roof, a 45-year sentence, a daring prison escape, and a secret life inside a Toys R Us where he fell in love, brought to life on screen by Kirsten Dunst. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, known for deeply felt dramas like ‘Blue Valentine’ and ‘I Know This Much Is True’, the film spins between humor and heartbreak with disarming ease.
Director Derek Cianfrance told the Toronto crowd during a post-screening Q&A, “I wanted to find something that reminded me why I fell in love with movies in the first place. This story sounded wild, almost funny at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized tragedy and comedy are two sides of the same coin. I wanted to make a film that spins between both.”
Speaking about the film at TIFF, lead actor Channing Tatum said, “This movie is, I mean, I think comedy in general is always best seen with, like, a large group of people so you can all laugh together and it's just beauty. It's just beauty that way. It's binary. It’s funny. But, also, you're going to feel something in this movie as well. It has a really interesting tone that isn't just, you know, it's not jump street. This is very, very far from that. It really does have something, I think, that is, only Derek's tone. Derek's tone is a very specific thing and every single thing in this movie is a real event. It happens and it seems larger than fiction but it's just nuts.”
Tatum described the character as a man whose heart was too big for his own good, someone whose love and loyalty drove him to make terrible choices. While Tatum shoulders much of the story’s chaos, Kirsten Dunst provides the emotional anchor. As the unsuspecting woman who falls for Manchester, she embodies both innocence and strength.
