BFI London Film Festival 2025 | Movie Review: Comedy and Chemistry Make "Roofman" A Charming Stranger-Than-Fiction Story

10/12 ForReel Score | 4/5 Stars

They say the truth can be stranger than fiction: Roofman certainly proves it. Channing Tatum stars as Jeffrey Manchester, a fugitive who takes refuge in the unlikeliest of places; behind the shelves of a Toys R Us. As he settles into his strange new home, he strikes up a heartfelt bond with a compassionate store clerk, played with warmth by Kirsten Dunst.

Tatum has never been better; this is arguably his finest role to date. He will charm and break your heart in the same breath, embodying the enduring question of whether doing bad things makes someone a bad person. Over the years, he has finely tuned his comedic instincts, and in Roofman he knows exactly when to weaponise - or more importantly to not weaponise - his humour.

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Opposite him, Dunst remains one of the most underrated performers of her generation, and the chemistry between them absolutely sings. Their performances interlock beautifully, and it’s a pairing that feels fantastically real and lived in. Dunst has never been warmer, swept up in a romance without which the film’s tragedy wouldn’t be as affecting. Their union is one of the finest in recent memory; it would not be amiss for Hollywood to pair these two again in future projects.

There’s something decidedly nostalgic about the entire affair; the Toys R Us setting that serves as host for much of the film and the occasional Blockbuster cameo in the background certainly help, but the filmmaking itself is old-school too. Shot on 35mm film, it instantly evokes the era of its setting, and its simple storytelling done well: a lighthearted comedy-drama driven by A-list star power. It’s a kind of film we don’t see often these days, the cinematic landscape seemingly populated exclusively by $200m CGI-heavy franchise movies or $5m indie fare. Roofman sits confidently in the middle.

Roofman is high-quality filmmaking at its best - heartwarming, charming, and threaded with perfectly timed comedy that only deepens its appeal. It’s a film about community; see it with your parents, see it with your friends, but definitely see it in theatres. They don’t make them like this anymore, and when the film industry does gift us a film like this, it deserves to be supported.