Channing Tatum Is Roofman — And Yes, It’s Based on a Real Story

Living in a store is apparently trending.

After the buzz around Secret Mall Apartment, we’re now getting Roofman — a wild, romantic, and oddly sweet crime drama starring Channing Tatum. But here’s the twist: it’s not just fiction. The movie is based on the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester, a man who literally lived inside retail stores after escaping prison.

What’s Roofman about?

Channing Tatum plays the title character, a charming escaped convict who hides out in a Toys R Us. He watches people through the store’s security cameras. That’s where he first sees Kirsten Dunst’s character. She’s beautiful. She’s kind. And she works in the store. So naturally, he falls for her.

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Yeah, it’s got that “criminal-with-a-heart” energy. Think Catch Me If You Can, but more toy aisles and fewer airplanes.

Tatum’s Roofman is caught in that classic tug-of-war between love and survival. He wants to stay invisible, but he also wants connection. Hiding out is one thing. Falling in love while doing it? That makes things a lot harder.

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Who’s behind the movie?

Derek Cianfrance is directing. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he brought us Blue Valentine. He knows how to tell a love story that doesn’t pull punches. Expect raw emotion. Expect messy choices.

The cast is stacked. Besides Tatum and Dunst, you’ve got Peter Dinklage playing her awful boss. Lakeith Stanfield shows up as Tatum’s crime buddy. The cast also includes Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba, Ben Mendelsohn, Melonie Diaz, and Jimmy O. Yang. So yeah, the acting talent is definitely here.

The real Roofman story

Jeffrey Manchester, the real guy, lived for six months inside a Toys R Us and a Circuit City. He wasn’t just hiding. He was living. Cooking, sleeping, watching life go by. He got the nickname “Roofman” because he robbed McDonald’s restaurants by cutting through the roof. Seriously.

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He was also ex-military, which explains how he managed to live undetected for so long. At one point, just like in the movie, he donated stolen toys to a Christmas charity. Romantic or reckless? Maybe both.

Eventually, his luck ran out. He tried one more job and got caught. He’s now serving time in Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The trailer’s already a hit

If you haven’t seen the trailer, it’s worth a watch. There’s something about Tatum balancing goofy charm with desperation that just works. The camera lingers on Dunst in slow moments. There’s tension, humor, and heart. And yes, a lot of crawling through toy aisles.

It’s weird. It’s a little dreamy. And it feels like the kind of story that shouldn’t work — but totally does.