In the late 1990s, twenty-something-year old Jeffrey Manchester robbed roughly 50 fast food and department stores in the United States.  He would wield a firearm, lock staff in cold rooms, and take cash from company safes.  He was finally apprehended in May 2000 after robbing two McDonalds stores in North Carolina… on the same day!  Several months later, a jury convicted him of first-degree kidnapping, in addition to a weapon’s offence, and he was sentenced to prison for a term of 32 to 45 years.

Of all the people in the world to make a fun, fluffy biopic about, Jeffrey Manchester is a curious choice.  Writer-director Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines) and co-writer Kirt Gunn were drawn to this “truth is stranger than fiction” tale and are milking it for all it’s worth.  They’ve cast a likeable actor in the lead role, Channing Tatum (Magic Mike), and highlight the character’s positives.  The version of Manchester we see in the film is an unemployed former soldier who steals primarily to care for his children.  He’s super-polite when robbing people, he’s friendly when interacting with others and, yep, he even donates used toys to a church group.  What an awesome guy!

The crux of the movie is spent in the year 2004 when Manchester escapes from prison, takes on an alias, and hides for several months in the cavities of a Toys “R” Us store in Charlotte.  He’d occasionally sneak out and, in doing so, falls in love with Leigh Wainscott (Dunst), a single mother with two daughters.  The pair spend increasing amounts of time together and, in being more in the public eye, Manchester is increasingly vulnerable.  Is it only a matter of time before his identity is revealed?

I grew tired of the “please-like-me” approach to Manchester.  It spends too much time on his goofy antics like stealing M&Ms, changing staff rosters, and creating a makeshift shower in the staff bathroom.  We never get a clear understanding why he’s that way.  Where was all the money going?  There are fleeting moments showing the heavier ramifications of Manchester’s actions (e.g. knocking a security guard unconscious) but, instead of judging him, the movie wimps out.  The closing credits feature sappy interviews with real-life people talking up his better qualities.

The supporting players are one-note and lacklustre with a single exception.  Academy Award nominee Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) steals every scene as Leigh.  She’s the most complex, fleshed-out character – a lonely, middle-aged woman looking for comfort within the church while also trying to connect with an increasingly distant teenage daughter.  Manchester arrives like a breath of fresh air in her life but we, as the audience, know her newfound happiness will end in heartbreak.  I wish the film was centred on her perspective and not Manchester’s.

It’s worth seeing to learn about the bizarre true story but Roofman could have been a lot better.