Roofman

Roofman

Sidey: Hello Riggs

Reegs: Hello, Sidey.

Sidey: It's just you and I. I am back from some travels. Yeah. Went to Thailand and the film that we're gonna talk about I watched on the flight. Yeah. Which I normally don't like to watch a new movie.

But this wasn't one that I had lined up speci like that I really wanted to see.

Reegs: Yeah, it just caught your eye.

Sidey: Yeah, it's roof man.

Reegs: Yeah. And I assume this is about some sort of, he was bitten by a radioactive roof or

Sidey: or, or someone who goes around roofing people

Reegs: Yeah. Oh, that. Yeah.

Sidey: But

no, it is a man who, it's actually a biopic. It's a, well, certainly a true story. Inspired by,

Reegs: Get outta town.

Sidey: Yeah. I had for some reason thought that it was directed or could have been directed by Steven Soderberg, but it's not. It's directed by a guy called Derek Kian, France. I dunno if that's a, that's his name. Sorry if it's not.

But yeah, it's a real life guy called Jeffrey Manchester.

He's from Sheffield. No. And it's played by change t so I thought it was like the lucky Luke one. He's in that with

[00:01:00] No, he is in the one with Daniel Craig and Oh the,

Reegs: Cake? No,

Sidey: no, the guy that's in. Another film anyway.

It's not, it's just not. So this is it, but it does feature someone who I have not been a fan of in the past, and that is Kirsten Dunt. But we'll get onto whether I enjoyed her this or not. I had seen the trailer and it did look quite an interesting premise,

Reegs: Is it comedic affair or something? Yeah, he's, he's

Sidey: it's comedic, but you know.

This, these are actual crimes that would've been like, probably pretty terrifying to people who were came up. So it, we get a bit of backstory about him. He, as I said, his name's Jeffrey Manchester and he is a US Army veteran. Mm-hmm. Who's now living his civilian life in North Carolina, but he is struggling to make ends meet.

And he has kids and

Reegs: was he Afghanistan, I suppose?

Sidey: yeah, Iraq. And they illustrate how her poor he is by showing his daughter's birthday party with all her friends there, and he [00:02:00] sort of re-gift one of his childhood toys to her. It's a Meno set and she's like. Obviously mortified.

Reegs: I wanted a

Sidey: All the other kids are looking over like, ha, look at your shit present.

Yeah. It's like, but I asked for a bike and he's like, we, we can like make a model bike outta this. It doesn't go down very well.

Reegs: But what that presumably inspired his lifelong love of engineering and roofs in particular.

Sidey: Well. He's quite adept at sort of MacGyvering things. We'll see that in the film.

But one of his pals, his his fellow army veteran at the, at his daughter's birthday party sees this and sort of he is like, oh god, you know, it's a bit embarrassing. So he says, look, you've got. Various skills that you've acquired whilst you've been away. And, you know, you can't, you're not very good at reading and you never were very good at all the traditional, you know, academia stuff.

But, you know, tell me how many exits there are in the room or how many people you know. And it's like just observational skills are through the roof law. So. He takes [00:03:00] that to inspire a life of crime. So what, so what he does is he, he'll watch a business and the first one he rips off is a McDonald's and he watches like.

What day does the cash get take, you know, all that sort of stuff. Well, how, who, who's there scurry? What's people's

Reegs: When are they vulnerable? When do they look? Not look at the bag for a minute.

Sidey: And when they're vulnerable is in the middle of the night when there's no fucker there.

And he literally, his his mo is just a claw hammer and he just hammers at the roof till he makes a whole big enough and he just drops in and he waits overnight. And when the first shift come in, he just surprises them. And takes all the money, right? It's like it, it is absolutely as basic as that.

Reegs: Okay.

Sidey: But we are shown, they go, they're at pains to show that he's a good inver robber because he's done a few of these. But we, it, he's getting quite adept at it and he gets the, there's three people in this. I think it's another fast food restaurant. He surprises them and he says, right, get your coats on.

And [00:04:00] they're sort of looking at him like, what the fuck? And he is like, put your coats on. And he's gonna basically lock them in the

Freezer or certainly walk in fridge.

Reegs: Mm-hmm.

Sidey: And one of the. The three. He is like, I didn't bring a coat to work today. He's like, what the fuck's wrong with you? Like it's raining outside, you know, you not check the weather and the guy's like, and so he gives him his coat.

Reegs: That seems to be a silly thing to do, I

Sidey: say. Which you're thinking like forensically and stuff. It's just like really bad. But he's a good, it's

Reegs: businesses. He's knocking off and so what are we supposed to feel about this? We're supposed to feel

Sidey: I think if you're robbing him at doors, then I'm all for

Reegs: Yeah. Okay, fine.

Sidey: So he, he puts them away and sort of, you know, we sort of flash forward and he, he's done 40 robberies. He's

separated

from his children's. Mother but still has contact with 'em. And then we get, so we get another new version of the birthday party.

Reegs: But now she's got the bike and

Sidey: the bigger reveal go through to the garage.

You know, here's the bike, here's all the flashy [00:05:00] stuff. But as the bike's being revealed, he sees the police just coming up the drive and he is like, oh fuck. He does the runner and. Sort of comedically caught and sent down and, and his daughter's like watching on, it's like the next birthday party humiliation while her dad is like taken away in cuffs and banged up.

He is sent away. But those skills that we talked about, those observational skills, that is a lot of routine in a prison. Yeah. And he sort of gives it the good boy act. He gets a good job in the kind of, workshop, I guess. And he observes. Basically it's the Del delivery routine.

Reegs: How do we see him doing his observing? Is it, is he just watching in this

Sidey: He just watches, yeah. And you can see things that are, or

Reegs: or anything

Sidey: there's no sort of like huge exposition, dumpster there. He could just tell, well, we, well, the expedition is that his mates said, you are good at observing things. Then

Reegs: And then we just watch him looking at stuff.

Sidey: watching him and sort of,

he doesn't like write it down, but he can see he's mentally noting that.

Yeah. Or he might look at his watch when the delivery van arrives and he say he knows, you know, every time there's [00:06:00] that. And that is how he escapes. He he, he says once you get trusted enough, you, you don't cause any trouble. You'll get trusted enough by the prison guards that they won't be there all the time.

So when he's interacting with the delivery driver guy he's very professional, everything, but he's just waiting for the delivery driver to, to turn away and he sort of marks on the floor exactly where the van stops. And then he marks on where sort of looks underneath and there's basically where the axes and where various things are in the chassis or chassis.

As the Americans say, he's gonna machine something in the shop. Basically a big plate that goes across these two bars, and then he'll just lie on it

Yeah. Okay. And it,

Reegs: how long has he gone down for?

Sidey: Well, I think in America, probably about 500 years. Okay. Because 40 robberies. Yeah. For whatever that is.

Yeah. Per robbery. I, that's how they tend to do it. So we get another then sequence of the delivery driver arriving. This time he, he kind of like walks around the side of the car and he takes that moment to literally run up, grab the [00:07:00] thing, put it down, climbs under the on, on top of the plate that he is put there.

And then there's just one bit of security where the van drives out and they get, you know, the mirrors that you put underneath the car. Yeah. So they're looking for anything because there's a plate, they can't see anything. So he drives off the guy pulls over. Couple miles down the road to go for a piss by the side of the road.

And he does a runner.

Reegs: All right. And he's free.

Sidey: free. He's free, but he hasn't got anywhere to go.

Reegs: Yeah, And he's a fugitive.

Sidey: He is fugitive. So, he's going to, he's gonna bust out some observational skills Once more. More. Yeah. He notices. A toys are us.

Reegs: Okay. You would do. Yeah. You would do.

Sidey: Yeah. And, I can't remember if he stays in the bushes for a little while or he just waits basically for nighttime.

He repeats his old mo Yeah. Hammers through,

Reegs: from the roof.

Sidey: but he's not intending to rob it this time. He just needs somewhere to stay. So

Reegs: couldn't he have got into a door rather than the

Sidey: Well, he is, he is good at this now. Yeah. So he has a wash and stuff like that and he is sort of, mucking around in the toys Ross, I think in, [00:08:00] in the actual guy, the real Jeffrey Manchester, he stayed in it for six months.

Ross. Yeah.

Reegs: Wow.

Sidey: So in this one, he, he kind of hides various different places, but there's a big display in the middle of the shop. Which the way that they've set it up, they can change the display, but the sort of backing of it has created this quite big void space. That's all like, it's, it's like imagine an oval shape.

Yeah. Where you can't see in from the shop floor. He's able to vault into it and he basically lives in there.

Reegs: Okay. So he is sort of hidden away

Sidey: and at first he's sort of listening to what's going on in the shop, and the store manager is played by Peter Dage. And he's a real, like douche ball breaker to the rest of the staff.

You know, thinks he's like super important you're managing a toy shop, but he's like rules the nine fist. So he starts to like, he gets a real, like he hates him and he's a real asshole to all the other staff. And this is where Kirsten. Dunt comes [00:09:00] into it. She's she's a big part of the local community.

She's involved with the church there. She's also just single parent.

Reegs: This is quite, that's sort of halfway through the movie, I would think. Is it? Yeah. If she's like coming in

Sidey: maybe a, maybe a third of the way. And she's sort of asking, oh, could I have some time off? 'cause I've got to do this such and such with the kids.

And there's always a no. So he ends up, this is where he starts MacGyvering things. So he, he watches he, he rigs the CCTV. So he gets monitors of the CV in his little like. Bedroom thing that he's created in the, the void space. And he watches dingles type out his password. So then he has access to all the, the store, everything.

So he goes into the work rotor and he changes that so that she gets the time off that she needs

Reegs: Oh,

Sidey: and he starts just manipulating all the systems like that. And he gets very comfortable at all this until such point that he gets careless.

Reegs: gets rumbled,

Sidey: and the first time he, he gets rumbled. He's having his sort of [00:10:00] makeshift shower in the, in the toilets there and Peter Dinkle walks in and startles him and startles himself 'cause he is bottle naked and he has to do a runner.

But he sat up all, he is like weird things in the shop.

Reegs: Do you get to see his dick?

you do get see his dick.

Sidey: There is a bit one of those ones if he pauses it just right, you can see his dick.

Reegs: All right. Okay, good. That is worth

Sidey: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he's looking in great nick in this film. So yeah, he runs off and Pits is shitting himself obviously, and he runs off to Vault back into his little makeshift cubby hole thing and that's the point where you can see his dick swinging around.

So a real treat. So they think he's done a runner 'cause I think there's like a door swinging and they think he's gone that through there. But no, he's still in the shop. And then the next thing you hear is from Kirsten Dun, is that she is doing a toy drive,

Reegs: but she's all churchy. Is she, is she a love interest for him? Then is

Sidey: what, that's the next bit. And they did, to be honest, they show you all this in the trailer. Yeah. You know, this is coming

Reegs: Well also if you've ever seen a movie before, basically as well.

Sidey: So she's going up to Peter Dingley saying, look. [00:11:00] got loads of stock and stuff that's not selling. Can I, is there anything we can donate to the church for the toy drive for, you know, these disadvantaged kids?

And he's like, no, get the fuck, we're a shop, we make a profit. No.

Reegs: Ruth

Sidey: roof man just takes fucking loads. He takes like a couple of bin liners full down to the church and he's just trying to like sheepishly like leave them and then run off and someone catches him, this lady. And she takes him with shine terms 'cause she's.

Fucking super hot dude. And like brings it, but bear in mind, like his face is known like it's a wanted, you know, criminal on the run. Yeah. His face has been on, so he's like apprehensive about going anywhere and people might recognize, so he's got like hoodie and cap and Right. Being all sheepish. And so she texted me in, and this is where we meet she's, oh, this is the guy that donated all the toys and they Oh, wow.

Oh, they say we've got this event coming up for single 'cause they, he says, oh yeah, I've got a kid, but you know, I'm not with the mom anymore. And she's, oh, I'm a single parent too. Wouldn't you know it. So they says, they say, oh, we've, we're doing this, one of these church events for a [00:12:00] singles.

Didn't you know thing? And he's like, oh God, really? And like, yeah, you must come. And it's like, oh, alright. But he's got the hot fur of Ty. So he rocks up and it's just 10 like.

Reegs: is there, is there quite a big hotness gap between Kirsten Dunst and, and Channing Tatu?

Sidey: Yeah, I would,

Reegs: Channing Tatum I think of as being super hot. And I do think Kirsten Dunt is quite attractive, but.

Sidey: one of the things that always stood out to me is she's for an American, she's never had her teeth done.

She's got like snaggle

Reegs: British teeth. Yeah. Yeah.

Sidey: And now I think I kind of respect that more about her. Okay.

Reegs: Okay. All right.

Sidey: So he gets sort of like strong-armed into get into the singles dinner and it's at like a red, red Lobster, and he's the only dude and it's just 10 old women. And Gerin Dun, but he turns on the charmer.

They're all like,

Reegs: yeah. Eating out of his hand.

Sidey: And he so Well

Reegs: Channing Tatum as well, so,

Sidey: So immediately after this, they fuck. She's like, well, kids are out. You know, just go back to my, and he's like, oh. And so then they, they have this sort of burgeoning [00:13:00] relationship and as the viewer, you're watching it going, I know exactly where this is gonna go.

There's no like, surprises here. It's just like, how is it all gonna unfold?

Reegs: Yeah.

Sidey: what happens is he, he, he, now, he starts being a proper, they, they have a proper relationship for a, an amount of time.

Reegs: he doesn't have to live in a toys or us

Sidey: anymore.

No. He still, he can't because he can't tell 'em what his real name is. He's just John. He's called himself John.

Okay. And.

Reegs: living a lie.

Sidey: She has two daughters. One's a bit younger, but one's a teenager, like bit Garth, certainly hormonal and not up for like a new dad coming onto the scene. Yeah.

Reegs: Really hostile.

Sidey: Yeah. So she's, she's like dead anti it. And so they, every time

They ask him anything, he has to make up some bullshit, you know, backstory.

So he's gonna trip up

Reegs: constantly lying. Yeah.

Sidey: but the one daughter really likes him. He plays video games with her the time. Really good rapper with that. And Kirsten do is loving it. And then at one, so he is gotta win the other one over at some point. And he does that by 'cause he's got loads of cash.

He, he takes her to [00:14:00] buy a car, basically, or to test drive a car anyway. And the guy at the the salesman is like, okay, we can take it out. That's fine, no bother. And he he basically just rags it down the road with, so everyone's in the car, the three women are in the back, the salesman, him and him driving it, and it just.

Yeah, there's guy absolutely shit himself like fucking doing. And, and then the girl in the back's like, wow, that's amazing. He's like, all come on your turn. And eventually they do, they do buy the car off him. So he's right. But so they're a bit like, who is this guy? Because he is, he is sort of like, his backstory that he's come up with is that he's in some sort of

government intelligence

Reegs: Okay.

Sidey: And one of the single women at dinner is like, oh, I work in law enforcement. I didn't know we had an intelligence operation here. And he's like, I can't talk about it. You know, that sort of thing. But essentially, yeah, the lies catch up. And they find, I think they find that there's been someone hiding out at the, And the toys are asked and they find the hole in the roof and all that, and they know it's him. [00:15:00] So he, he, he go, he basically, there's, there's a big family meal once he's got everyone on side. The mega happy sort of situation and like the impending doom of like everything catching up with him. He either has to go to this dinner with the family.

But knows it's all gonna go to up or do a runner. So he does, so he does a runner and Geron Dun phones him. He's like, oh, you are coming, aren't you? And we, we, and he's like, yeah, yeah. He's just like, he can't, he can't bail out or no, he feels too bad. But he also knows that she's. She's gone to the police.

Yeah.

Reegs: Yeah.

Sidey: So since he turns up, he's arrested. Taken back, taken back to prison on, yeah. Yeah. So

Reegs: I'm going. Oh.

But he did, thought he'd

robberies.

Sidey: He like traumatized like. God knows how many people and did all that sort of stuff. They don't, they never, ever sort of, they just pay him out to be a good guy in the film.

It's just like questionable. Yeah. Well, highly questionable.

Reegs: So he goes back to

Sidey: he, the next thing we

Reegs: and then obviously he's gonna get more [00:16:00] years because he

Sidey: yeah. He, she does come to visit him eventually, and she says, did you know? He is like, yeah, I knew, but you know, I'm sorry, blah, blah, blah. And she kind of forgives him, but never goes back to him again.

And then we were told that the, the real guy, he, he attempted two more escapes was captured each time. And then he never he never tried again. He just sort of accepted it, I guess. I could probably go to prison, I think.

It'd be better than gonna work.

Reegs: It's about the

Sidey: Yeah. Be honest.

But I kind of enjoyed this actually. Yeah. I thought I would enjoy it anyway 'cause I like Cha Tatum and we saw his dick.

Reegs: I like him as well, but it seems a bit of a funny one.

I dunno how to, what to think of this

Sidey: story story.

Reegs: really, but it being a true story of this guy who robbed 40 places and then. Like, yeah, I dunno. Just

Sidey: It's he's got a gun. It's like armed robbery. It's pretty, yeah, like, it'd be pretty scary. So the,

Reegs: they make like a sort of PG 13 action drama

Sidey: Well, there's no action particularly, I wouldn't say it's just, yeah, it's, it's [00:17:00] almost like. Somewhere between a sort of heist film and a romcom.

Reegs: Yeah.

Sidey: But the lead's good.

The lead is good and it is well directed. T's good. I like him. I like him in a sort of this, this is an out and out comedic, but it is got comedy touches in it and I've, I think he's got good comic timing. I like him. He lost a load of weight for this 'cause the guy, obviously he looks nothing like.

The real dude. Yeah. So he tried to lose a bit of weight to, and I think he lost something like 70 pounds, but he still looks like a fucking beefcake when you see him on the screen. And yeah, and I did like Kirsten Dunne, she was very believable.

Reegs: You don't normally like her, do you?

Sidey: You No, I'm not a fan or hadn't been a fan in the past.

But she was good in this. So I would say this is a strong recommend

Reegs: What about on the length ter? Chris is very interested in the length of

Sidey: Yeah.

It doesn't overstate. Its welcome. I would say that

Reegs: less than two hours. Is this

Sidey: Oh, so yeah, it's like a 90 minute, maybe a hundred, maybe an hour. 40 tops, I would say.

But breezy very easy Watch.

Reegs: It's the sort of thing I [00:18:00] might watch if I were on a plane.

Sidey: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I can't remember anything about the soundtrack or anything like that. Financials. Did it make any money? I can't remember. Yes it did. Yeah. It was, budget was only 19 million. Yeah. And it made 35.

Yeah. We're gonna talk about another film later and the budget for that was fucking way, way more than that. Yes. And I dunno where the difference in. What was on the screen comes from anyhow yeah. Strong recommend for Roof man.

Reegs: Strong recommend.