2025-10-11 Roofman review

I've seen this described as "crime comedy" (Wikipedia) and "romantic comedy" (Time), but I'd consider it closer to "drama." There is comedy, and romance and crime, but this is first and foremost a story of one man's life being repeatedly ruined by his bad decisions and society's refusal to take care of their downtrodden.

The actors are good in their roles, the cinematography is good but not noteworthy, and the score is forgettable. What you're here for is to see the trainwreck unravel and repeatedly yell at the protagonist not to do what he will inevitably do. He tells us that stupid criminals get caught because they can't sit still and hide. What does he do? Get bored and go out and meet people. His buddy tells him to avoid talking with anyone and go straight to the airport. What does he do? Turn around and walk into an obvious trap. The line that stuck in my mind the most is his buddy calling him "the dumbest smart guy" at the beginning of the movie.

That said, he is very smart, and demonstrates his observation and problem-solving skills repeatedly throughout the runtime. If society functioned well at all, he would be immediately given all the resources he needs and put to work benefitting us all. Instead, they throw the book at someone who effectively only committed non-violent crimes as a way to make up for his shitty place in life.

It's a good film and one I'd recommend to people looking for a relatively light drama, but it's not spectacular in any particular way. 5/7