“From Criminal to Hollywood Hero? Channing Tatum’s Roofman Sparks Backlash for Glorifying a Real-Life Sociopath Who Lived on Toy Store Roofs and Robbed America Blind”
Channing Tatum’s latest blockbuster turns a charming fast-food thief into a tragic anti-hero — but critics say the real ‘Roofman’ was no misunderstood genius… he was a manipulative, dangerous fugitive. Is Hollywood rewriting reality for box office gold?
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When moviegoers sat down to watch Roofman, the new Hollywood drama starring Channing Tatum, few expected to be rooting for a polite, soft-spoken criminal who once lived undetected in the ceiling of a Toys “R” Us. But that’s exactly what this controversial film has done — and not everyone is applauding.
Based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester — a former Army Ranger turned serial fast-food restaurant robber — Roofman paints a surprisingly empathetic portrait of a man who, while on the run from the law, robbed over 60 McDonald’s locations and lived for months in the rafters above a toy store. He was eventually captured after his bizarre, semi-heroic double life unraveled — but not before earning media nicknames and pop culture infamy.
Now, with Channing Tatum stepping into Manchester’s shoes, and Oscar-nominated director Derek Cianfrance at the helm, critics are calling the film “the Joker of 2025” — morally murky, visually stunning, and emotionally manipulative. But the biggest debate isn’t about the cinematography or acting — it’s about whether the film goes too far in glorifying a real-life criminal.
“Jeffrey Manchester wasn’t some quirky genius living in a toy store attic — he was a calculated manipulator who terrorized workers, broke into businesses, and escaped prison,” said one crime analyst who studied the original case. “He might have had charm, but he was no victim. Hollywood just loves turning villains into misunderstood souls.”
The film, however, leans hard into humanizing Manchester. Tatum portrays him not just as a burglar but as a broken man haunted by abandonment, disillusionment, and the aching desire for a normal family life. In fact, the film’s most emotional scenes occur not during the crimes — but in moments where Manchester is bonding with a young girl and her mother, who have no idea he’s living above their heads like a ghost.
Audiences are divided. Some see the film as a powerful exploration of redemption and emotional damage. Others call it a dangerous rewrite of reality — one that turns a sociopath into a victim simply because it makes for a good script.
Even Tatum admits in interviews that meeting the real Roofman was “heartbreaking,” and the role forced him to confront uncomfortable moral questions. But does that justify making him the protagonist of a major motion picture?
As Roofman climbs the box office charts, one thing is clear: this isn’t just a film about crime. It’s a film about how we choose to remember criminals — as monsters, victims, or something in between.
