Talk about a bait and switch, but in a good way for once!

Roofman is a tale mostly set in the nostalgic setting of a Toys “R” Us that should have been exclusively goofy, but it became much more than that. Channing Tatum plays a real life career criminal (Jeffrey) that made his living by robbing McMillions from a place no one ever thought to look, up. With Tatum’s range he was able to play the role of Buddy the Elf mixed with Tom Hanks from Cast Away, and let’s just say isolation did him well. I could go on and on about how impressed I constantly am with Channing and what he does with the roles he chooses, or is chosen for. Here he is resourceful, romantic, and a genius idiot all wrapped up in one. Safe to say, he’s a jack of all trades.

This movie does something that 99% fail to do, and that’s surprising the audience. It’s pretending to exclusively be a comedy, but in reality it’s all encompassing. Without spoiling specifics, it heavily becomes a family oriented film where dumb choices can easily ruin it all. The opposite of a mistake was made when casting Kirsten Dunst as the potential love interest, as Dunst’s kind heart and romantic nature really brings you into the story even further. There’s a realism to how relationships work here that always makes me a sucker for what I’m watching. I can’t go much further without mentioning the heck of a supporting cast around them too. Peter Dinklage is perfect at playing a dick (Peter Dicklage), with Lakeith Stanfield and Ben Mendelsohn adding the finishing touches.

As Jeffrey pushes his luck with every aspect of his life, your heart will race, and there’s quite a few hold your breath moments that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. I keep dancing around it, but there is a comedic edge that is hard to deny. Within the seriousness of this, it’s super funny. Lines are delivered with a sneaky ease, especially as mistakes are made throughout. At first you might think things are played safe, and sure you have to suspend some disbelief but this is one of the surprises of the year.

You’d be a fool to count on Tatum failing.

7.8/10