The first frame of Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman boldly declares, “this is a true story.” While such claims often feel like marketing ploys, it proves meaningful here. Merging rom-com warmth with a true-crime caper, Roofman bursts with earnest emotion and early-2000s nostalgia—when McDonald’s had personality, Blockbuster was a weekend ritual, and Toys “R” Us still ruled childhoods.

Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, an Army veteran and divorced father who just wants to make his kids proud. Gifted with sharp observational skills, he begins robbing McDonald’s by cutting through their roofs—earning his nickname—but remains oddly gentle, even offering a hostage his jacket before locking him in a freezer.

After escaping prison, Manchester hides out in a Toys “R” Us, surviving on candy, public-bathroom showers, and stuffed animals. There, he falls for employee Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), another divorced parent charmed by his warmth. His double life soon unravels, forcing him to choose between love and freedom.

Known for wrenching dramas like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, Cianfrance finds surprising tenderness here. The film balances sentimentality and melancholy with deft direction and cozy fall-winter visuals.

Tatum delivers one of his most nuanced performances—mixing charisma, chaos, and a yearning for connection that proves his undoing. Dunst brings grace to an underwritten role, while Peter Dinklage steals scenes as a hilariously uptight store manager.

Despite some heavy-handed narration and a missed opportunity to probe the veteran psyche post-9/11, Roofman remains a funny, heartfelt exercise in authenticity—one that, like its loveable thief, steals your heart before you notice.

Roofman opens in theatres October 10.