Criminal Adaptations
Criminal Adaptations is a True Crime/Movie Review Podcast discussing some of your favorite films, and the true crime stories that inspired them. With hosts Remi, who spent over a decade working in the film and television industry, and Ashley, a clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator. They discuss a new movie each week and compare the film to the real life events that the film is based on.
Criminal Adaptations
Roofman
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In this episode, we dive deep into Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman (2025), staring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, the film inspired by the bizarre crime spree of Jeffrey Manchester. We break down how the movie portrays Manchester’s string of rooftop break-ins, his time living inside a Toys R Us, and the cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement that captivated the public. From Manchester’s motivations to the film’s narratives choices, we examine the darker, more complex reality behind the story Hollywood dramatized. Whether you’ve seen Roofman or are just intrigued by one of the strangest crime stories in recent memory, the episode isn’t one to be missed.
Primary Sources:
- Dalke, Tyron. Roofman: The True Story of Jeffrey Manchester’s Daring Crimes and Life on the Run. (2025).
- The Charlotte Observer (2025)
- San Francisco Gate (2024)
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Theme: DARKNESS (feat. EdKara) by Ghost148
Musical Cold Open And Nostalgia
RemiWelcome to Criminal Adaptations, where we take a look at some of your favorite movies and the true crime stories that inspired them. I'm Remy. I spent over a decade working in the film and television industry in Los Angeles, California.
AshleyAnd I'm Ashley, a clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator in the state of Oregon.
RemiI don't want to get caught because I'm a fugitive. I'll break in through the roof and hide so I can still live. From Taco Bell to Burger King, I've robbed every single store there is. I don't want to get caught, cause if I did, I wouldn't be in Toys R Us, Hid. Thank you. Thank you.
AshleyWow, Remy, you really outdid yourself with that musical Diddy. I loved it.
RemiI appreciate your praise, Ashley. It means a lot.
AshleyAnd in case anyone is wondering why Remy was singing a made-up tune to the jingle of Toys R Us, that is because we are discussing the relatively new film Roofman about Jeffrey Manchester, a serial robber who escaped from prison and hid out in a Toys R Us for several months.
RemiObviously, Toys R Us is a major nostalgia factor for millennials and Gen Xers. Ashley, do you have any memories from Toys R Us from when you were a child?
AshleyNot specifically. The only thing I do remember is getting really excited when we got to go to Toys R Us because it really was just a big Play Store for kids. They were huge warehouses, and I would just go down each aisle asking my mom, can I have that? Can I have that? Can I have that?
RemiWell, Toys R Us has made a pretty big impact on my life. In fact, if you look between my eyebrows, you will see a tiny little scar. And that is from when I was a child. My mom took me to Toys R Us, and I was a chaotic little kid, and I was running around the aisles, and I was running in between the metal bars that they have set up near the cash registers where people would line up. And as I was running through the bars, an employee yelled, Hey kid, watch out! And I turned around and then looked back and womp, bashed my head against one of those metal bars, and I'm pretty sure I was knocked out because the next thing I knew, I was in the bathroom covered in blood, and my mom was cleaning me up. So that is my childhood memory of Toys R Us. But beyond that, they did have magnificent toys.
AshleyThey sure did. And wow, that definitely is a memory that I bet actually a lot of kids have.
RemiI would be surprised. I hope not a lot of kids have that same memory.
AshleyI mean, going crazy in a Toys R Us, I bet there was a lot of kids that their ADHD kicked in and they were just off their rockers more than usual.
RemiTrue, true. I just hope they didn't leave with the same physical scars that I happen to leave with. The film we will be discussing today is also directed by Derek Cienfrance. He is the co-writer of the film as well, and he usually makes emotionally heavy relationship dramas like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. So we're both huge fans of those movies, and we meant to watch them before the episode, but just ran out of time.
AshleyI've actually only seen The Place Beyond the Pines once, so I don't really remember much of it other than Ryan Gosling's vibe and look of the film, but I'm obsessed with Blue Valentine. We've actually watched it together. It is such a good movie. But Derek C. in France is also behind several other super dramas. There is a TV series from HBO. I think it's called I Know This Much Is True or something, starring Mark Ruffalo, and we literally referred to it as super drama when we were watching it.
RemiIt is the most dramatic TV show I think I have ever watched. Every episode is the worst thing that can possibly happen to the character over and over and over again. It is pretty remarkable. So yeah, that is why we referred to it as super drama. But I would not classify this film as a superdrama. It stars Channing Tatum, who went from kind of a heartthrob to a comedy star to a serious actor, and this film kind of combines all three of them. I know we previously discussed him in our Foxcatcher episode way back in the day. He's also been in Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, Logan Lucky, and of course my favorite cameo of all time in This Is The End.
SPEAKER_14This is Mike Gimp. Channing, introduce yourself. Hey, what's up, guys? It's Channing Tatum. That's Channing Tatum, dude. What the fuck? It ain't fucking Tatum. I found him wandering on the freeway. I collected him, made him my bitch. Keep off my dick.
AshleyThe story behind why he agreed to do that is also great, but we'll save that for another day.
RemiAnd honestly, because the director had made two extreme dramas with Ryan Gosling in the past, it had me wondering why they didn't bring Ryan Gosling on board for Roofman, but through my research I actually found an answer, which we will get to in just a minute. The film also stars Kirsten Dunst, who low-key has one of the best resumes in all of Hollywood. And she's married to Jesse Clemens, which is a definite plus as well. He is amazing. Do you have any particular performances from Miss Dunst that sticks out to you, Ashley?
AshleyI would be remiss to not say bring it on.
RemiI completely forgot about bring it on when I was writing the list of films that she did, which I love. I had written down Interview with the Vampire, was probably the first thing I saw her in when she was just a little girl. Of course, the Spider-Man films, The Virgin Suicides, and Melancholia. And I just recently heard that she will be in the Minecraft 2 film. So good for her for getting a paycheck for once and not doing an indie film. But enough playing around. Should we get into the pre-production of Roofman?
AshleyAlright, I'll put down my toy car
Why This Director Switched Tones
Ashleyfor this.
SPEAKER_17Take the bag out. Put it down. I need you to take the inkwell out. If I do that, it'll blow up everywhere. Not if you do it quick. Zip it right back up really fast, okay? Okay.
RemiRoofman is a 2025 American crime drama directed by Derek C. In France, based on the real-life story of serial robber Jeffrey Manchester. The film stars Shanning Tatum as Manchester, alongside Kirsten Dunst, Lake Stanfield, Ben Mendelson, Uzo Aduba, and Peter Dinklage. Filmmaker Derek Sea in France got involved with Roofman after producers brought him the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester, the man who robbed dozens of fast food restaurants through their roofs, escaped prison, and then secretly lived inside a Toys R Us. The story immediately grabbed him as something stranger than fiction, with Sea in France later stating that it was so unbelievable he initially had trouble accepting it was real.
AshleyWhich is pretty much the same reaction we had when we watched this movie when it first came out and saw it was based on a true story, and decided to immediately add it to this season's queue.
RemiAnd from what you've been letting on, the film is closer to reality than I would have assumed.
AshleyYes, I've been trying to keep some tight lips when it comes to discussing this one off-mic.
RemiAfter years of making emotionally heavy dramas like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, C in France said he felt he had been falling into the darkness too hard, and was eager to tackle a new genre with a lighter tone. Roofman gave him that opportunity while still allowing him to explore the morally complex characters that have defined much of his work. C and France spent roughly the next four years crafting the story, speaking regularly with Jeffrey Manchester in prison, and interviewing several other real people connected to the case. The project was officially announced in February 2024 with Sea in France set to direct, as well as co-writing the screenplay with Kurt Gunn, based on an earlier script written by David Stevens and Peter Patrucci. Derek Sea in France had originally reached out to Channing Tatum years earlier, offering him the lead role in Blue Valentine that eventually went to Ryan Gosling after Tatum passed on the role.
AshleyI would not recast this with anyone other than Ryan Gosling. However, I do think Channing Tatum would have done a good job. He's a really good actor.
RemiHe is a good actor, but Blue Valentine is a career-making dramatic performance from Gosling. It is brilliant and tragic and some of his finest work. C in France later said he had wanted to work with Tatum for years and felt that Roofman was the perfect opportunity, believing Tatum had a dancer's body and a boxer's face, with the physicality, charisma, and toughness to match Jeffrey Manchester's unusual mix of agility and grit.
AshleyHe should have said a dancer's body and a wrestler's face, then he would have been referencing several of Channing Tatum's past movies.
RemiChanning Tatum also said he was eager to work with Derek C. in France at this stage of his career, and admitted that passing on Blue Valentine years earlier had been a mistake. Once attached, Channing Tatum fully committed to the role and spoke directly with the real Jeffrey Manchester while preparing for the film. Did you get to talk with Jeffrey?
SPEAKER_04Really? Yeah, I talked to him every day for almost a couple months, and I didn't get to see him. I put in my application to the state. They didn't approve it until after we had started filming, and there just wasn't time to go see him, but I am going to go meet him at some point, I don't know when, probably after the movie comes out, and like there's a little space. But the only thing I can possibly say is I had all these expectations. I had all these things I was gonna ask. And then when you when I heard his voice from the phone, it just all went away, and we just got to know each other. And the guy's the most like optimistic and and warm and friendly human that you can you can possibly be, and he's been incarcerated for so long. Yeah. I don't know how you I mean, I guess he's had a lot of time to work on himself, but still, uh he's it's it's shocking to me.
RemiJeffrey Manchester initially said he wanted someone uglier than Channing Tatum to play him, but that changed after the two spoke directly. After getting to know Tatum, Manchester joked, you know, Channing and I have a lot in common. We both have a very high motor, we both played defensive end, and we're both extremely good looking. Jeffrey Manchester was around 34 years old during the period of his arrest and capture, while Tatum was 44 during production. Despite that, the film used makeup, styling, and Tatum's physical transformation to help match Manchester during the years depicted. Channing Tatum had reportedly bulked up to around 240 pounds for his previous role in Josephine, and initially planned to slim down to 185 pounds while preparing for Roofman.
AshleyDid we see Josephine? This is not ringing a bell.
RemiWe did not see Josephine. I've not heard of this film, believe it or not. So if anyone's out there has seen it, let us know if it's worth a watch. Instead of going down to 185, Tatum underwent a major weight loss regime and reportedly dropped down to 172 pounds, with Entertainment Weekly reporting that the transformation was so dramatic that some cast and crew members became concerned about how much weight he had lost during filming. And to put that in perspective, I weigh 172 pounds, so he got down to my size, actually, which is pretty staggering for a man of Tatum's build.
AshleyEspecially starting at 240. That is a lot of weight.
RemiKirsten Dunst became involved with Roofman during the film's casting expansion in the fall of 2024, with trade outlets reporting that she had officially
Casting Choices And Toys R Us Rebuild
Remijoined the project on September 30th. Dunst later explained that one of the main reasons she took the role was the chance to finally work with director Derek C. In France, saying in a premiere interview that she had always wanted to work with him. Toys R Us liquidated its U.S. operations in 2018 after filing for bankruptcy, leading to the closure of its remaining company-owned stores across the country. Because the real events in Roofman involve Jeffrey Manchester hiding inside a Toys R Us, the production needed to recreate a late 1990s to early 2000s version of the store. The crew eventually located an abandoned former Toys R Us building and used it as the foundation for the set, rebuilding the interior with the help of case photos, witness recollections, and reference materials tied to the real incident. To make the set period accurate, the production reportedly sourced toys and merchandise from eBay and other secondary markets so the shelves would reflect the era shown in the film.
AshleyThis came up in my research for my part, and that impressed me so much. Not only were they just trying to fill this former Toys R Us store with toys, they needed to get specific toys that were available at the time of this, and they were able to do it.
RemiThere is a scene in the film with Tickle Mi Elmo, and it is an entire wall of tickle mielmos. And knowing that they had to go through sites like eBay to get all of these toys is pretty impressive. They must have purchased every tickle me Elmo that was being sold online.
AshleyI didn't even think of that. When I first read the line, I was just thinking they would just get one of all these toys. They would have had to buy a bunch of them because it probably would have been more expensive to just digitally duplicate them after the fact, yeah.
RemiOh, totally. And in the film, they have to stock all of the shelves. There are scenes where he is taking one toy off a rack and the entire rack is still full of toys. So they really, really did their due diligence in recreating the iconic Toys R Us store. In fact, the finished recreation was so convincing that many locals believed that the store had reopened and tried to enter, leading to crew members having to explain that it was just a film set and not actually an operational store.
AshleyI wonder what they did with all the toys after. They probably just donated them.
RemiOr put them back on eBay. Or maybe they're sitting in a prop house somewhere in Hollywood. Alright, Ashley, are you ready to bust down through the ceiling and hear all about Derek C. and France's Roof Man?
AshleyJust don't lock me in the freezer.
RemiThe early AM shift arrives not long after, and as they begin preparing the store to open,
The Movie Opens With A Robbery
Remithey discover Jeffrey wearing a ski mask and holding a rifle. Despite his intimidating appearance, Jeffrey is oddly jovial and surprisingly polite to the staff. Good morning, team.
SPEAKER_05No, no, no, don't be scared. If you just do what I say, no one gets hurt, okay? No, no, look, putting it down. Okay, now I'm gonna say a polite careful good morning. And then you guys say it. Good morning. No. Dwayne. After I say it. That's how that works, okay? Now good morning, team. Good morning. Yes. Perfect. I say what to do, and you guys just do it.
AshleyAnd for those of you at home, he has a huge rifle that he's just resting on his shoulder. So the employee's shock, even when he's being quote unquote polite, is completely understandable.
RemiHe's also wearing all black and a black ski mask, so it is not the appearance of someone that you would expect to be nice. After securing the employees in the walk-in freezer, Jeffrey reassures the group that he will call the police after he leaves so they can be let out safely. He even gives the manager Dwayne the jacket off his back so he will not catch cold before locking everyone inside. Jeffrey then gets to work, grabbing every dollar he can find, including the money in the safe, escaping just in the nick of time as a police car pulls up to the drive-thru window.
AshleyWas this officer just trying to get his morning egg McMuffin?
RemiExactly. And he actually hops on the drive-thru window voice box thing and tells the cops that he'll be with them in a second as he is preparing to bolt out the back door. Through narration, Jeffrey says he had a good childhood, but was never very good at school or behaving. He admits he was good at other things while serving in the military, but after his discharge, he started making bad choices. We then flashback to two years earlier at Jeff's daughter's birthday party. After blowing out the candles on her cake, Jeffrey's little girl Becky eagerly opens her present, only to be disappointed that it is not a bicycle. Out in the backyard, Jeffrey and his friend Steve, played by Lakeith Stanfield, slowly fill an inflatable kitty pool with a hose while discussing Jeffrey's money troubles. We also learn that Steve is in the fake passport business, and business is supposedly booming. Once the party ends, Jeffrey brings his daughter back to her mother Telena, played by Melanie Diaz, along with their two other children. Jeffrey cannot help but feel inadequate when it becomes clear Becky is about to be taken to a much nicer birthday party being thrown by her grandmother. While sitting in the parking lot of a McDonald's and thinking about his money troubles, Jeffrey spots an employee carrying a ladder up to the roof and suddenly gets a bright idea. Jeffrey goes on to rob 45 fast food restaurants, along with the occasional blockbuster during his robbery spree, allowing him to provide a better life for his family and throw his daughter a proper birthday party the following year, complete with a mariachi band and the bike she had always wanted. And note to our viewers, mariachi bands are surprisingly affordable, so if you're looking for a last-minute birthday gift, go with the mariachi band. They will not be expecting it.
AshleyWell shit, should we fire our DJ for our wedding?
RemiMaybe. However, Jeffrey's robberies repeatedly make the news, earning him the nickname Roofman for his habit of breaking in through the roof. The police still have no suspects, but Steve has an uneasy feeling that his friend Jeffrey may be responsible. Things seem to be going pretty well for Jeffrey until the police show up at his daughter's birthday party, forcing him to flee out the back door as officers give chase. Despite his best efforts, Jeffrey is soon swarmed, tackled, and arrested by the pursuing police, as his daughter looks on. Sidebar, many of the law enforcement officers seen in the film actually participated in the capture of the real Jeffrey Manchester. On February 4, 2004, Jeffrey is convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon for his recent McDonald's robbery, though he is suspected of many more. He is also hit with a felony kidnapping charge for each employee he locked in the freezer, receiving 180 months for each of the three victims, totaling 540 months or 45 years in the North Carolina Department of Corrections. While in prison, Jeffrey learns that his family wants to move on with their lives without him. Desperate to get back to them, Jeffrey secretly begins planning his escape. Every prisoner wants the same thing to get out of prison.
SPEAKER_04And they think that the way out is through a wall or over a fence. But the guards got that covered. The way out of prison is through the people. Prison was just another building full of systems and routines. Keep the routine, and the guards won't get suspicious. If you're nice enough, if you're useful, they forget you're in there for a reason. And when they stop watching you, you can start watching them.
AshleyWe will see this more in my part, but just Jeffrey Manchester is incredibly smart. He knows and appreciates the importance of just watching and observing and learning while at the same time keeping a low profile.
RemiJeffrey's prison job involves building park benches and loading them onto a delivery truck. One day he claims to smell something leaking underneath the vehicle and volunteers to take a look, giving himself the perfect chance to study the underside of the truck. Over the next several weeks, Jeffrey quietly pieces together a makeshift change of clothing from scraps around the workshop. Then, he waits. When the right moment finally comes, in the few seconds between the driver climbing back into the truck and pulling away, Jeffrey grabs a nearby piece of plywood, scurries underneath the vehicle, and wedges the board between two metal bars to create a small platform. He then slides himself onto it as the truck rolls forward, past security, and straight out the front gates. Sidebar, the truck driver is played by Charles Cummings, the real-life truck driver who unwittingly helped Jeffrey Manchester escape.
AshleyYou know how hard it would have been to track down this specific person?
RemiOh, they go into that later on. The police are completely baffled as to how this guy escaped. Like he just vanished, and it really leaves everybody in the prison scratching their heads.
AshleyWow, kudos to the director. It would be so hard to track down this specific truck driver who drove this single truck on this single day 20 years prior before the movie even started filming. That's wild.
RemiThere are so many cameos from people who were actually involved in the real life case that I stopped mentioning them after this point. The director really went out of his way to include anyone that he could that was actually involved in the real thing, and my hat is off to him for doing that. It was probably a lot of work. Once outside, Jeffrey dislodges himself from beneath the truck, while the driver is distracted, urinating in a field. Now, officially on the lamb, Jeffrey sprints through the woods, shedding his prison uniform to reveal the makeshift civilian clothing underneath. He then makes his way to the freeway and manages to hitchhike back to his family's neighborhood.
The Under-Truck Prison Escape Plan
RemiIn a brief moment of joy, Jeffrey catches a glimpse of his daughter riding the bicycle he had bought her down the street, only to notice several undercover police cars parked nearby, clearly waiting for him. Later that night, Jeffrey calls his old friend Steve, who advises him to hide out and not call back for another month, once the heat has died down. Now needing to disappear for 30 days, Jeffrey needs a place to lie low. That's when he notices the rainbow-colored lights of a Toys R Us directly across the street. Under the guise of a late night toy shopper, Jeffrey grabs a cart and makes his way through the aisles, past the store's manager, Mitch, played by Peter Dinklage, who informs him the store will be closing in ten minutes. Acting quickly, Jeffrey ducks into the restroom and shimmies his way up through an opening in the ceiling above the handicap stall. Hiding among the steel pipes above, Jeffrey anxiously watches through an air vent as the store finally closes for the night. Once alone, he drops into the security office and studies where the cameras can and cannot see. He then quietly moves through the store, filling a nearby Spider-Man backpack with whatever food he can reach in the blind spots. And I couldn't find any actual proof of this, but they had to throw a Spider-Man backpack in there because of Kirsten Dunst.
AshleyThat is a very good guess, but no, that's incorrect.
RemiI couldn't find any information to back that up, but I just had assumed it was a nod to that, but apparently not. Just a coincidence. After loading up on baby food, Jeffrey kicks back in the employee break room watching news coverage of his recent escape, which left authorities totally baffled.
AshleyIt would look like he just disappeared into thin air, with how quickly he was able to get under that truck.
RemiHe literally vanished in a split second. It was the amount of time between the driver walking from the back of the vehicle and entering the front of the vehicle. That's what, maybe three or four seconds? Yeah, nobody would know where this guy went. At around 2.30 a.m., he heads back into the ceiling and finally falls asleep for the night. Frustrated that he was unable to reach any of the candy because of the positioning of the security cameras, Jeffrey spends the next night reading the CCTV manual and quickly learns how to disable the recording system, allowing him to safely access the entire store. After gleefully loading up on peanut MMs, Jeffrey begins roaming the aisles in search of a safer hiding space.
SPEAKER_04Most guys, when they escape, get caught in the first few hours. They go as far as they can as fast as they can. And that never works. The trick is to stop.
RemiFind a place no one will look. Jeffrey eventually finds an empty enclosure near the bike racks, about the size of a Manhattan studio apartment. After thoroughly cleaning up the area, Jeffrey grabs a few pregnancy pads from the store and uses them as a makeshift bed. And I also can't emphasize enough how right in front of everything this location is. There is a bike rack, and he is just kind of parked right in the middle of this blue thing that's dividing the different racks. Like literally, customers, employees, everyone are walking by this area all day.
AshleyIt was an area of dead space. So it was behind this rack, and there was this makeshift wall, and he discovered that behind the wall there was just a bunch of unused space that probably no one ever even really knew about.
RemiAs the days roll on, Jeffrey stays safely tucked away inside his little space during store hours, quiet as a mouse, while customers and employees remain none the wiser. At night, however, he emerges to roam freely through the aisles, helping himself to anything useful while keeping himself clean by washing up in the restroom sink with what appears to be pink hand soap. He also spends a lot of time just goofing off and playing with toys because honestly, why not? When in Rome?
AshleyWhat else is there to do? If I were him, I would try to completely swap my sleep schedule to sleep during the day and then during night come out.
RemiThat's exactly what I would do, Ashley, and I'm pretty sure that is what Jeffrey does as well. As added security, Jeffrey takes several baby monitor cameras and sets them up throughout the store, allowing him to see and hear what is happening in employee areas and around his enclosure. It's through these cameras that Jeffrey first lays eyes on an employee named Lee Wainscott, played by Kirsten Dunst. Lee is dealing with a bitter custody battle over her two daughters, and asks for a lighter schedule that weekend to handle some personal matters. But her manager Mitch is unsympathetic and denies the request outright.
AshleyWho, by the way, is played by Peter Dinklage, which we have not yet mentioned.
RemiI did mention that a little bit earlier, but it was kind of in passing. Yes, Dinklage is back, who we discussed last season in three billboards, in another unusual small supporting role. It seems like that has become his bread and butter. He's rarely starring in things these days, but he shows up in these small roles and honestly kills it. I think he's great in this film. He is hilarious. With Jeffree's new camera setup, he is able to see Mitch's computer password. So he sneaks into the office later that night and gives Lee the days off she had requested.
AshleyAw, that's so sweet.
RemiYeah, Jeffrey thinks that Mitch is an asshole, and I can see why. He is a bit of a dick. After 30 days inside Toys R Us, Jeffrey finally makes his escape on a children's bicycle through the emergency exit at the back of the store, after disabling the alarm on the door. Back outside again, Jeffrey calls his friend Steve, only to learn he is back in Afghanistan on a six-month contract and will not return until December 1st. With no other options, Jeffrey returns to his small enclosure inside Toys R Us, with his morale at an all-time low. As the weeks roll on, Mitch grows suspicious of the half-dozen boxes of peanut MMs that keep disappearing from the store, somehow convincing himself that a portly employee must be behind it. One day, Jeffrey overhears Lee asking Mitch about donating some return toys to her church's charity Toy Drive. But Mitch declines, saying that Toys R Us sells toys. It does not donate them. Later that night, Jeffrey pulls Lee's Toy Drive flyer from Mitch's trash bin and
Living In Toys R Us Undetected
Remigets a bright idea. On the morning of the toy drive, Jeffrey slips away from his Toys R Us hideout and delivers a trash bag full of toys to Lee's church. Though he tries to leave them anonymously, one of the parishioners spots him and invites him inside to drop them off properly. Jeffrey is then ushered into the church service where Lee is singing as part of a soulful choir. After the service ends, Jeffrey sticks around for lunch and serves himself several heaping helpings of spaghetti and meatballs, a welcome change from his steady diet of candy and baby food.
AshleyOh my god, I bet he had like three or four helpings of spaghetti. That would taste like the best pasta you've ever had after what he's been eating for months.
RemiI seriously cannot imagine sustaining myself strictly on candy and baby food for an entire month. He must have felt awful. The pastor and his wife, played by Ben Mendelssohn and Uzo Aduba, take notice of Jeffrey's heroic appetite and insist on introducing him to Lee so she can thank him for the generous donation.
SPEAKER_09This is our star lady. She is the backbone of everything that is good going on in this church. She does the outreach, does the meals, does the toy drums. She I really don't know how she does it all, but she does. And this is John. He made a very generous toy donation.
SPEAKER_04Really like Christmas and just giving kids. I just love kids.
SPEAKER_09You have kids, huh?
SPEAKER_04I do have kids. Two little monsters. Boys and little girls and New York, um, I'm here working. What do you what do you what do you do for? Well, I work for the government, um, but I can't exactly talk about it. It's um at the moment.
AshleySo, you would think that his whole line of I work for the government and I can't say what I do would raise red flags, but remember, as we learned from our Edward Snowden episode, there is a lot of whole states and cities on the East Coast where most of the people that are working there do work for the government. This is set in North Carolina. So his statement of working for the government and he can't really talk about it, it's really not that unprobable and unbelievable.
RemiHaving made such a good impression, the pastor's wife invites Jeffrey to the church singles event being held that Wednesday at Red Lobster, and he agrees after convincing Lee to attend as well. He's also really excited about Red Lobster's biscuits, and I don't blame him. Those things are amazing. In need of some cash, Jeffrey steals a few stacks of video games from the store and sells them at a pawn shop so he can see a dentist, where he learns he has a staggering 14 cavities. Oh my god. Don't live off candy, people. That Wednesday at Red Lobster, Jeffrey arrives and is greeted by a room full of single women, but he only has eyes for Lee. And I also want to point out, he is the only man that showed up to this. It is just women in this room with him. And they love Jeffrey. He is such a schmoozer.
AshleyWell, and he is not hard on the eyes either. It's Channing Tatum.
RemiThe women, of course, ask John about his work for the government, but Jeffrey says he is undercover and can't go into any detail, though he does insist that it is not very exciting. And going by what we learned from Snowden and reality, if he was working for the government, that would be accurate. After the event concludes, Jeffrey walks Lee to her car, where Lee decides it is time to get a little clarity on exactly who John really is.
SPEAKER_15Alright, I'm I'm getting my courage up. Um I have two questions to ask you.
SPEAKER_05Two? Just two? Here, drum roll. Give me the first one.
unknownGo.
AshleyUm you're gay, right?
SPEAKER_05What? I'm what?
AshleyYou're gay.
SPEAKER_03Gay? No. What? Are you kidding right now? No, I mean, look, I don't have anything against gays. I love gays, but like, I'm no, absolutely not. What made you think I was gay?
SPEAKER_15You just seem like one of the girls. Or like, you seem to love women's shoes.
SPEAKER_03No, that's not what that was.
SPEAKER_15All right. Uh uh. Alright, well, that that's a no, we can go straight to question two.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Oh, yeah. I guess hit me.
SPEAKER_15Um, would you like to go out with me on a date?
SPEAKER_04Okay. Wow, you're a very forward person. I uh um yes, I would I would very much, really, very much like to go out on a date with you. I don't know. Yes, yes is the answer.
AshleySo we have seen this movie before, and I didn't really notice it until this clip, but you can really tell that Channing Tatum lost a lot of weight in this role. He has a bulky build. He is a big guy. In this scene, you really notice the weight loss in his neck and face. He's thin.
RemiHe normally has a football player build, but you really can see the difference in his sink bath scenes, especially. He is the slimmest I've ever seen him in this film. Lee offers to pick Jeffrey up on Saturday, but Jeffrey claims he lives in a government building that is not disclosed to the public. Instead, the two agree to meet at Freedom Park at 8 a.m. that weekend, and permission to speak freely. 8 a.m. is a crazy time to arrange for a first date.
AshleyThat would be an immediate deal breaker for me.
RemiI know, right? Who does that? That Saturday, Jeffrey and Lee stroll through the park where Jeffrey learns that Lee's ex-husband shares the same name as him. Not long after, Lee invites Jeffrey back to her place for a little hanky panky. Afterwards, Lee tells Jeffrey about her two daughters, one of whom is a teenager currently struggling with her learner's permit. So Jeffrey offers to teach her how to drive. Though Lee finds the offer sweet, she feels he should at least meet the girls first. So she invites him over for a pizza dinner with the family later that week. When the day arrives, John shows up with flowers along with a few goodie bags he put together for Lee's two daughters, containing toys, video games, and CDs. How retro. The gifts work like a charm on the youngest, but the angsty teenager is not having it, and quickly excuses herself back to her bedroom. Jeffrey stays up late building Lego castles with the little one before bedtime finally arrives, and he must take his leave. As the months roll on, Jeffrey becomes a constant presence in Lee's family life as their romance continues to grow. He funds his double life by pawning stolen video games, eventually totaling more than $10,000 in losses for the Toys Arrest store. That is a lot of video games. By Thanksgiving, Jeffrey has fallen head over heels for Lee and her family, and begins to dread the day he will inevitably have to leave them. Early one morning, Mitch arrives at work while Jeffrey is in the middle of one of his notorious sink baths, with wet laundry hanging to dry on jump rope clothes lines in the aisles. Panicked, naked, and covered in soap, Jeffrey tries to sneak out and grab his clothing, but is spotted by Mitch, who understandably freaks out. I mean, imagine walking into work and finding a soaped-up naked man. I'd freak out. Fearing what the naked intruder might do, Mitch hastily retreats to the back room, while Jeffrey kicks open an emergency exit, setting off the alarm, as he frantically scrambles back into his enclosure. Moments later, police sweep through the store but come up empty-handed, concluding the naked man escaped through the open exit. When they attempt to check the security footage, they discover that none of the cameras were recording, which they quickly bring to Mitch's attention. With Christmas fast approaching, Mitch says he plans to upgrade the store security system and hire an on-site guard, much to Jeffrey's dismay. On the morning of December 1st, Jeffrey phones his old pal Steve from Lee's home phone and is told to come by the following Sunday. Meanwhile, Jeffrey buys Lee's teenage daughter a beater car and teaches her how to drive, endearing himself even further. That Sunday, Jeffrey arrives at Steve's as instructed. After exchanging
Church, Dating, And The Double Life
Remipleasantries, Steve gets to work creating a new identity and passport for Jeffrey. Unfortunately, the price is $50,000, which Jeffrey obviously does not have, though he assures Steve he will have the money when the time comes. Later that night, Jeffrey attempts to break through the roof of a strip mall pawn shop, only to realize he has accidentally broken to the massage parlor directly next door. Frustrated and desperate, he breaks through the wall into the pawn shop, setting off an alarm and moving quickly, smashing the front display case and grabbing a handgun, then snatching a mask and police vest on his way out.
AshleyI do remember this scene being very humorous and also anxiety-provoking.
RemiI know, right? The alarm is going off non-stop, and he literally smashes through the wall from the massage parlor into the pawn shop. Like just hammers right through it. So he has not a lot of time to get in and out because obviously the cops have been notified the second he busts through that wall because of the alarm. Back in the massage parlor, Jeffrey makes several failed attempts to break through the glass front door before grabbing a giant gold Buddha statue from the lobby and sending both it and himself crashing through the entrance to make his escape. From there, Jeffrey returns to his hidden lair inside Toys R Us as the Christmas rush steadily intensifies. In the days that follow, he slips out to spread some holiday cheer to Lee and the girls by decorating their home, buying them a Christmas tree, and joining them for an evening at church. Back at Toys R Us early the next morning, Jeffrey dons his stolen mask and police vest and prepares for what he hopes will be his final robbery. Shortly before the store opens, he emerges, announces himself, and begins rounding up employees with zip ties. Unfortunately, the new security guard does not go quietly, forcing Jeffrey to incapacitate him and break his promise to the other employees that no one would be hurt. Jeffrey then has Mitch lead him to the safe and remove the ink bomb from the cash bag, which promptly explodes in a pink burst directly into Mitch's face. After grabbing all the money he can, Jeffrey heads for the exit, but feeling guilty about hurting the guard, stops to call 911. Before he can finish, Lee arrives for her morning shift. The moment Lee sees the masked man, she makes a run for it as Jeffrey dashes out the door. The back exit. The police soon arrive and finally uncover Jeffrey's hidden man cave behind the bike racks. Back at Steve's, Jeffrey hands over $50,000 in cash and receives his new identity and a passport in return.
SPEAKER_02Okay, let's see. This is your North Carolina issue driver's license, alright? Got your passport, notarized birth certificate, you got your check stubs from your last job. Oh, and there is your ticket. You leave at 11 p.m. out of Charlotte. Yeah, what you're gonna do is a layover in Miami, and then you're gonna fly to Barranquilla. From there, you're gonna take a little bus, and then I'll have you in Venezuela before the weekend's off. Looks like I got everything I need in case I decide to go tomorrow. Decide? You already made your decision, man. What are you talking about? I mean, I you can't expect me to go on Christmas, right? Can I just stay a while and I'll just lay low? That's not a choice you have, Jeff. You got to leave tomorrow. I got people waiting on you, man. I got a security guy in Miami. He'll be at line three. You have one shot, man. 11 p.m. tomorrow. Don't miss this shot. All right? Baby, let's get this uh wig on him.
AshleySteve is like the guy that owned the vacuum repair shop in Breaking Bad.
RemiSteve would be an incredibly useful person to know if you were a criminal. And Steve additionally advises Jeffrey to cover his tracks by eliminating any trace that he had stayed in town over the past six months. As a result, Jeffrey makes a quick stop at the dentist's office on his way out of town, since they had taken x-rays of his teeth while treating his cavities. After breaking inside, Jeffrey torches the place, triggering a massive explosion from the nitrous tanks. From there, Jeffrey heads to the airport, but stops along the way to take a call from Lee.
SPEAKER_02Hello? I was just about to call you. Is everything okay?
unknownI've been calling you. Where are you?
SPEAKER_02I'm driving. Well, actually, I just pulled over.
SPEAKER_15Are you coming to Christmas dinner? The girls have been asking for you.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah, I wouldn't miss it.
SPEAKER_15Wanna meet us some cough? At home?
SPEAKER_04At five, yeah, yeah, that sounds good. Yeah, I'll be there. You there? You okay? I can hear you. I can hear you breathing.
unknownI love you, John.
SPEAKER_04I love you too.
unknownI'll see you back.
AshleyYou don't get the full feel of this scene with just the audio, but when you're watching it, Training Tatum is really showing off his acting chops here. He genuinely looks like he is about to burst into tears.
RemiThis is one of those scenes that seems pretty obvious that she has informed the police that he is the robber. And it seems like he almost is aware of it too, but he's tired of running, and in the off chance that he's wrong, he would want to be with Lee. But that's just my interpretation.
AshleyNo, I agree with you. And I do think the real Jeffrey Manchester really did love Lee and her kids. I don't think that was an act.
RemiEver a man of his word, Jeffrey arrives on time holding a bouquet of flowers and festive balloons. The moment he reaches Lee's door, he is swarmed by police officers and promptly arrested. Lee had seemingly recognized Jeffrey during their brief encounter at the robbery and alerted police as soon as she got home. Jeffrey is sentenced to an additional 384 months because of his escape and numerous crimes. While incarcerated, he is later visited by Lee and apologizes for ever hurting her. Lee admits she was angry at first, but now views the entire experience differently and is thankful for the time that they spent together. The two bid each other a tearful farewell as the screen cuts to black. A title card then reads, Jeffrey Manchester attempted to escape from prison two more times in 2009 and again in 2017. Lee, who has since remarried, recently visited him for the first time in more than a decade. Jeff will be eligible for parole in 2036. He currently works as the prison librarian and insists he has no further plans to escape.
The Final Heist And Getting Caught
RemiAnd that was Derek C. France's Roofman. Any initial reactions, Ashley?
AshleySuch a wild ride, and we'll hear about the full story in a moment. But before we do, I
Box Office, Reviews, And Real Cameos
Ashleywant to know what you thought about Derek C. France shifting gears here and doing something with more of a comedic flair. Do you think he should do more of this or should he go back to super dramas?
RemiI think he did a very good job with this film, but I honestly think his strength lies more in super dramas. This felt like a film that, if it had taken place in Texas, would have been directed by Richard Linklater, who we discussed in Bernie and Hitman. It just seems like more of his type of filmmaking style than it did see in France. I think it was a good film, and I think he did a very good job with it. I just think his super dramas are more impactful than something like this is. But I can understand why he wanted to do it. Who wants to make super dramas their entire career? Once in a while you'd like to do something lighter and actually have fun while you're at work.
AshleyAnd this is a movie where you can insert your dramatic elements, albeit not as extreme of a degree as his previous roles. But Jeffrey Manchester is a really polarizing figure. On the one hand, he committed over 40 robberies. You can say he didn't physically harm anyone, but a lot of his victims were left with long-lasting psychological damage. And I'm sure at the end of my portion, we'll have a little discussion of whether his sentence is fair or not. He was sentenced to a lot of years, and he is also very sympathetic.
RemiIf he is in real life, how he comes across in the film, he does seem like a decent guy who was trying to commit robberies without hurting anybody involved. There is emotional trauma and things like that. But for being a career criminal, Manchester is a sympathetic one. And I do think that Channing Tatum did a very good job of balancing the romance and the humor and the drama all in one character with C and France's direction. Which is very hard to do. Tatum is a very good actor, and I'm still waiting for that one performance that just breaks him to that next level of drama.
AshleyAll of his latest movies have been this dramedy style. He did this, there was Magic Mike 2, and then there was Blink Twice, the one that was directed by Zoe Kravitz. It was a great movie. He was amazing in it, but it's not one that's gonna gain him an Oscar nomination or anything like that.
RemiAnd I honestly do think with the right role, an Oscar nomination is in Channing Tatum's future. He is a brilliant actor and really underappreciated.
AshleySame with Kirsten Dunce. She's, I think, has a really good agent and is picking diverse roles for her, I guess, comeback because she was kind of not really on our screens for a while, but she's popping up and stuff more and more and more, and I am not mad about it.
RemiMe neither. She is brilliant. I loved her in the season of Fargo she starred in. And she consistently comes out with really strong, dramatic indie films every year. Like I said, she's doing a paycheck film with Minecraft 2 next year, but I can't blame her for that. She has been consistently putting out quality work since she was a child, and that is really commendable. She's a magnificent actress, who is also overdue for an Oscar.
AshleyWell, what happened post-production with this film?
RemiRoofman had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025, and was later released in the US on October 10, 2025, after being moved back one week from its original October 3rd release date. The film earned $3.2 million on its first day, then opened to $8.1 million overall, finishing second at the box office behind fellow newcomer Tron Ares.
AshleyPSA to anyone out there. It stinks. Tron Ares is complete trash. Watch Roofman instead.
RemiRoofman went on to gross $23 million in the United States and Canada, and $11 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $34 million. So modestly successful. It moved to digital purchase and rental on November 11, 2025, roughly one month after its theatrical release, which is, I believe, how we saw it. On Rotten Tomatoes, Roofman currently holds an approval rating of 87%, with a critical consensus that reads, a disarmingly sweet, tonal gear shift for director Derek Cienfrance. Roofman is shaggy as a narrative, but expertly tailored to Channing Tatum's strength as an eminently likable leading man.
AshleyOkay, the shaggy as a narrative, I think is probably why when I asked you the question about if Derek Cyanfrance should stick with this type of role that you said no super dramas, because his dramatic films, their narratives are so tight, there's no room for error.
RemiCien France's drama films are just an entirely different level of filmmaking. He really knows how to do realistic, grounded, emotional drama films, which is frankly very hard to do. I've tried to make my own dramas in the past, and getting actors to those extreme levels convincingly is very difficult, and C in France does it in all of his films, including this one. After the film's release, Derek C in France said Jeffrey Manchester called him and told him, if I could give you a hug, I would. C in France also said that the film helped repair Manchester's family relationships, with Manchester's daughter reconnecting with him after years of no contact, and his sister finally answering his calls again. Kirsten Dunst received a nomination for Best Supporting Performance for her portrayal of Lee Wainscott at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, ultimately losing to Naomi Eckey for Sorry Baby. The film also earned a nomination for Best Achievement in Decor Design of a Contemporary Feature Film at the Set Decorator Society of America Awards, recognizing its detailed production design work in recreating the iconic Toys R Us store. It did lose to one battle after another, though. Well, now that we've heard the movie's version of the events, should we crack the safe and break into the true story of Jeffrey Manchester?
AshleyWe shall. Jeffrey the giraffe is gonna help me tell this story.
SPEAKER_06I don't wanna grow up, but a choice risk.
The Real Roofman And His Training
SPEAKER_06Um toys.
AshleyDuring monthly weekend trainings, Manchester developed skills he would eventually use during his two-year nationwide crime spree. He trained in repelling, weapons handling, and tactical planning. Repelling taught him to control his descent, land safely, and navigate obstacles while suspended. Skills designed for infiltration, for getting into positions the enemy wouldn't expect. Tactical planning trained him to assess terrain, identify vulnerabilities, approach targets from unexpected angles, map escape routes, and time operations for maximum effectiveness. Weapons training ensured he could properly handle and maintain firearms, even in adverse and high stress situations.
RemiIt does make a lot of sense that his military training came in so handy with his robberies. I mean, he robbed 45 different places. That seems like an expert.
AshleyThis is a qualm I do have with the movie. I think it should have emphasized his military training because without it, I do not think he could have pulled all of these robberies off.
Remi100% agree. The military aspect of his life is really, really glossed over in the film. And I think it would be interesting to have learned that he got these skills from serving his country.
AshleyManchester married in 1991 and was stationed at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in Northern California by the mid-1990s. When operations at the base began to scale back, there was less need for a reservist like Manchester. Facing an uncertain future, he took a job at McDonald's, but his paychecks barely covered rent. Finding himself in an increasingly desperate situation, he came up with a plan. One that would put his military training to use. He decided to rob the restaurant. He spent months studying every detail, opening procedures, the location of the safe, the layout of the building, before finally putting his plan into motion in November 1998. In the early morning hours, he climbed onto the roof and began drilling through layers of roofing material, insulation, and ceiling tiles, carefully creating a hole just large enough for him to slip through.
RemiWhat did he use? Was it like a blowtorch?
AshleyI'm not sure. I have a little information of what he used after, but all I know is that he just carefully cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. Around 3 a.m., using his repelling skills, he lowered himself inside, landing silently in a bathroom stall. Then he waited. When employees arrived for their shifts, he made his move. Dressed entirely in black, armed with a 22 caliber rifle, he ordered them into the walk-in freezer, reminding them to grab their jackets on the way in. With everyone contained, he quickly emptied the safe and cash register and retraced his steps through the ceiling, leaving no forensic evidence behind. The entire operation took roughly 15 minutes and netted him a few thousand dollars.
RemiAnd I guess this is as good of time as any to point out that roofs normally do not have security systems on them. The security systems are usually installed on the doors or windows of the establishment, but not the roof. I know this because when I was buying your engagement ring, Ashley, the jeweler that I went to had been robbed the night before and had a very expensive security system in place, but it was not installed in the roof. And the criminals had gone in through the roof and gotten through the safe that way. They had someone out front, dressed as a security guard, keeping watch. And yeah, it is sort of a blind spot in most business's security systems.
AshleyFrom there, Manchester began scouting McDonald's locations across California. He spent days sitting in his car, watching employees, tracking when managers came and left, memorizing delivery schedules, and identifying windows of time when the restaurants were the most vulnerable. His tactical training allowed him to pinpoint weak spots and choose the exact moments that would maximize his chances of success. He studied floor plans until he could navigate spaces in near total darkness. Because fast food restaurants tend to share similar layouts, what he learned at one location
Arrest, Plea Deal, And A Harsh Sentence
Ashleycould easily be applied to dozens of others. By early 1999, he hit enough McDonald's across the state that investigators began connecting the dots. A clear pattern and distinct MO emerged. The California Department of Justice formed a task force, but Manchester continued to evade authorities. In November 1999, his crime started to catch up with him when police responded to a domestic disturbance call at his house. Not long after, his wife filed for divorce and sought custody of their three kids. His family cut ties, likely suspecting the extra cash he'd been bringing in wasn't earned legally. As Manchester's robberies escalated, so too did the sophistication of his tools. He invested in quieter saws, designed specifically for cutting through roofing materials.
RemiWell, there's the answer to my question.
AshleyHe also bought higher quality flashlights, gloves that wouldn't leave fingerprints, and rope systems that allowed him to lower equipment before descending himself.
RemiThis is very advanced.
AshleyNow, with no family to come home to, his crime spree expanded across state lines. Between 1998 and 2000, he committed somewhere between 40 to 60 robberies across California, Nevada, Oregon, Minnesota, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, which drew the attention of the FBI. Despite the scale of his operation, he rarely walked away with more than what was needed to get by while planning his next move.
RemiYeah, how much money would you be walking away from robbing a McDonald's first thing in the morning? I'd imagine maybe a few grand at the most.
AshleyWhen a McDonald's location felt too risky, he adapted by targeting other chain businesses with similarly predictable layouts, including Burger King, Blockbuster, and home base hardware. Manchester's method was consistent. After rappelling through the roof, he corralled employees into the walk-in freezer, sometimes calling 911 from a payphone blocks away to report that workers were trapped inside and needed help. He apologized for the inconvenience, occasionally making small talk or cracking jokes. This was likely strategic. Calm victims are less likely to panic, resist, or attempt anything that could escalate the situation. Employees later described him as soft-spoken, conversational, and even polite. While he did assure victims they wouldn't be hurt if they cooperated, he occasionally fired warning shots into the ceiling, and in at least one instance pistol whipped an employee, though not hard enough to cause serious injury. Although his victims walked away physically unharmed, the psychological impact lingered long after he left. Some quit food service entirely, unable to enter restaurants without triggering flashbacks. Others became hypervigilant and easily startled by noises from above. As his notoriety grew, he became known as the Roof Man or the Rooftop Robber.
SPEAKER_10Turn to Rob again. Overnight, cutting his way into this McDonald's at the intersection of Madison and San Juan in Sacramento's North Area. Within hours following the holdup, a repair crew already was at work on the roof of McDonald's, closing his entry. The fast food restaurant shut its main lobby, serving only drive-up customers. Roofman has struck Sacramento area businesses eight times in the last 15 months. Many have been McDonald's like this one in Folsom last summer. But he's also robbed Burger King and other businesses. This was an earlier composite drawing of Roofman, always wearing a mask.
AshleyOn May 20th, 2000, Manchester was in North Carolina for an annual Army Reserve training. Around midnight, he dropped through the roof of a McDonald's in Gastonia and walked away with cash, just like he'd done so many times before. But this night was different. He got greedy. Five hours later, he targeted a second McDonald's in Belmont, about 10 miles away. Shortly after he left, two employees forced open the freezer door and called the police. En route, officers noticed something out of place. A white 1999 Pontiac sunfire parked in a church lot that was typically empty in the early hours of a Saturday morning. As they moved to investigate, Manchester came sprinting out of the woods. He grabbed, then dropped, a large duffel bag he had stashed under the car before vaulting over a six-foot fence. He was quickly found hiding in nearby shrubbery, not far from his rifle. This time there was no elaborate escape. He surrendered without incident, even telling officers, you guys did a real good job tonight.
RemiGood job, guys. He caught me. Way to go.
AshleyDuring questioning, Manchester was cooperative but calculated. He admitted to and apologized for the two North Carolina robberies, but denied the others. Instead, claiming he was inspired by the rooftop robber he'd seen on the news.
RemiClever.
AshleyManchester was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and eight counts of kidnapping, one for each employee he locked in the freezer across the two locations. He was offered a plea deal of 15 to 22 years in prison, with the possibility of serving that time in California where he could be closer to his children. According to his public defender, he turned it down because he didn't believe he was guilty of kidnapping for simply forcing the employees into the freezer.
RemiStill counts.
AshleyWhile facing charges in North Carolina, the FBI began building a federal case. There wasn't any physical evidence tying him to the broader string of robberies, but the circumstantial case was strong. Military records placed him near many of the robbery locations. Eyewitnesses consistently describe someone matching his build and demeanor. And when he was arrested, tools consistent with cutting through roofs were found in his car. Manchester would only face charges in North Carolina.
RemiWow, what are the odds?
AshleyAt trial, Manchester was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 35 to 45 years in prison. He was just 29 years old. I know he did a lot of robberies, but if you think about it, he's only being charged for two, in which no one was injured. For someone who is convicted of, on record, their first and only crime, this is an insanely harsh sentence.
RemiIt's because they assume he has been doing the others. They don't have proof, but I think that is a factor in this. Like they're pretty sure that this is the guy, so they are giving him a sentence that they would have given that guy. It's not right, but that's just what I feel happened in this situation. They knew it was him.
AshleyManchester shuffled through several facilities before landing at Brown Creek Correctional Institution. The medium security prison was built in 1993 and never had a successful escape. Manchester was a model inmate for four years. He participated in available programs and earned a coveted job in the prison's metal plant, positions reserved for those who consistently demonstrated good behavior. The plant operated like a small industrial facility where inmates manufactured metal items like bed frames and playground equipment. Trucks regularly came and went, delivering raw materials and hauling away finished products. Manchester paid close attention. He memorized delivery schedules, noted which guards were less thorough during vehicle inspections, and identified moments when vigilance dropped, before shift changes, during breaks, ahead of long weekends, and in bad weather. At the same time, he built trust with prison staff by showing up on time for work and performing his jobs well, eventually earning more complex assignments and greater autonomy. Behind the scenes, he was preparing. Over time, he quietly collected materials he would use to escape. He saved typically discarded scraps of plywood, using them to construct a platform sized to fit beneath a truck's undercarriage between the axles. The wood was sturdy enough to support his weight, yet light enough to move in position quickly. He spray painted it black for camouflage and gathered pieces of cardboard to further conceal himself in case guards looked underneath the truck. June 15th, 2004 began like any other day. Manchester ate breakfast, stood for count, and reported to work as usual. But this wasn't an ordinary day. It was the one chosen for his escape, carefully timed around a forecasted storm, guard shift changes, and delivery schedules. When the right truck pulled up, Manchester made his move amid the chaos of loading. He grabbed the platform he positioned days earlier, slid beneath the truck, and wedged himself between the axles. He surrounded his body with pieces of cardboard for added concealment, gripped the undercarriage, and waited. The storm worked in his favor, just as he predicted. Heavy rain pounded the facility as guards conducted their routine inspections at two checkpoints, sweeping their flashlights along the side of the truck, but never underneath.
RemiThis is fucking brilliant.
AshleyAfter the truck pulled away, Manchester held on for miles. When the truck slowed in a more populated area, he let go and rolled into brush along the road. With no real plan beyond escaping, he waited a few minutes before hitchhiking to Charlotte, a city just 45 minutes from the prison. He chose to stay in North Carolina for a few reasons. Investigators would likely assume he'd fled much further, making proximity its own kind of disguise. He had also looked into sentencing guidelines and thought the county had relatively lenient penalties for burglary. Lastly, there was nothing waiting for him anywhere else. His family in California wanted nothing to do with him. Once in Charlotte, Manchester began scouting retail locations until he found a
The Real Toys R Us Hideout Expands
AshleyToys R Us in a relatively low traffic area surrounded by mostly closed businesses, including a connected circuit city. For several days he walked into the store after opening, blending in like any other customer as he studied the layout. He soon found what he was looking for. A small area of dead space between display fixtures and a wall most employees probably never noticed. When the opportunity came, he slipped behind the bike display and claimed it as his hiding spot. His new home measured roughly four feet by ten feet, just large enough to stand and lay down. It was small, but he made it his own. He slept on a pool float covered with Spider-Man bed sheets and decorated the space with superhero posters, toys, and a Nerf basketball hoop. Unless he knew exactly where to look, it was nearly impossible to notice. Each night after the store closed, Manchester came out of hiding. He exercised by riding bikes through the aisles, raced remote controlled cars across the roof, and survived on baby food, candy, and crackers taken from the shelves. As weeks turned to months, Manchester grew more confident. He subtly adjusted the store schedule to suit his needs, creating slightly larger windows of time where he could move freely without detection. He wasn't seen, but he wasn't invisible either. Employees started noticing bicycle tracks on freshly cleaned floors. Motion alarms were triggered more often at night despite no signs of force entry. Inventory discrepancies increased but were dismissed as miscounts or kids pocketing items. Any scheduling oddities were just chalked up to computer glitches or human error. And everything did continue without major suspicion until sometime in October or November 2004. One morning, an employee discovered Manchester's hiding space after noticing a piece of bedding caught in the improvised spring-loaded door. They were shocked to find a concealed living space hidden behind the displays, but the homeless man living there was nowhere to be found. With Manchester's hiding spot compromised, he needed a new place to stay. As luck would have it, he discovered that the wall separating Toys R Us and the adjoining Circuit City was relatively thin. Over several nights, he carefully cut a doorway near a stairwell, once again concealing it with remarkable precision. He got to work recreating his living space, this time upgrading to a child-sized mattress. Although Circuit City was vacant, the building still had functioning electricity. Manchester tapped into it to power his new living quarters, including lighting and a DVD player. He also improvised a water setup by rerouting access from the Toys R Us plumbing to create a makeshift sink to go with his portable toilet. The final touches included a paint job and installation of smoke detectors.
RemiThis is incredible. I cannot believe this man literally set up an apartment.
AshleyI would not know how to reroute plumbing. Like what the hell?
RemiI wouldn't know how to do half of this shit. This is impressive.
AshleyTo monitor activity in the Toy Store, Manchester positioned baby monitors near key areas, including entrances, the manager's office, and break rooms. From there, he did what he did best. He studied everything employees' movement patterns, customer traffic flow, and the blind spots of surveillance cameras. This store, like many before it, became a system he could predict. By the end of October 2004, Manchester had spent four months in near-total isolation. His hiding spots were prisons of their own. He craved connection and purpose. He wanted to feel like a normal person again. One day, he ventured into a grocery store.
SPEAKER_11And then he went his way and I went mine. And at that point, I skedaddle.
AshleyWhen Manchester mustered enough courage, he reached out to someone from his past, an individual who could help him obtain falsified identification documents. Steve. Well, Manchester never revealed the identity of this person, so we do not know who he was or anything about him. The driver's license and social security card Steve created weren't perfect, but they didn't need to be. They just had to withstand casual scrutiny and be credible enough for Manchester to move through everyday life without raising immediate suspicion. With these documents, he became John Zorn. One of his first stops was Crossroads Presbyterian Church, with a small congregation of at most 200 members led by Pastor Ron Smith. Pastor Smith welcomed John without prying questions, and Manchester quickly embedded himself into his new community. He went to Bible study every Wednesday, volunteered to set up chairs and cleanup, organized and attended children's events, and donated toys, always new and always unopened. Lee Wainscott was another new face in the congregation. A single mother of three, she had recently moved into her own apartment following the finalization of her divorce after 20 years of marriage. Manchester was drawn to her immediately. The two got better acquainted at a church singles brunch at TGI Fridays. It went so well that Wayne Scott asked to see him again. From there, the relationship moved quickly. They regularly ate at Red Lobster and saw the occasional concert or movie financed with money Manchester had stolen. But most of their time was spent at Wayne Scott's apartment, playing games and watching TV alongside her kids. Manchester became a father figure to them. He played with them and constantly brought them toys he supposedly found on sale. A picture perfect family was forming. To Wayne Scott, John Zorn seemed like the perfect man. He was funny, attentive, charming, and romantic, but there were a few details that didn't quite add up. He told her he recently moved to North Carolina from New York and worked for the government in a highly classified role. He couldn't discuss his job or have visitors at his residence because he lived in employee housing where civilians weren't allowed. She also found it strange that he didn't own a car. Deciding he needed one, she drove him to a used car lot where he picked out a 1999 Chrysler Concorde. He paid $5,000 in cash and registered the vehicle under her name, a gesture she found thoughtful and spontaneous.
RemiOkay, where was he getting the cash? Was he pawning the video games?
AshleyYeah, I think he was stealing toys and pawning them, and or taking money from the register. But probably because the money from the register would have been emptied each night, I think he was, like you said, just pocketing toys he could pawn.
RemiJust speaking from personal experience from trading in video games, you get like $3 at the most. He would have to steal aisles and aisles of video games to get $5,000.
AshleyI assume, because this is in 2004, that maybe the price you could get for them was a bit higher.
RemiMaybe. I'm just saying maybe there was also some other means he got some cash.
AshleyWell, Wainscott wasn't the only person taken by John Zorn. To those around him, he was funny, engaging, patient, and kind. He became a familiar presence in the neighborhood, a friendly face who always had time to stop and chat. But Manchester's internal world was far different from the one he presented to everyone around him. He grew increasingly paranoid, watched the news obsessively, and mentally mapped escape routes in any place he went. He worried about being recognized at the gym where he slipped into shower. He hoped the dentist wouldn't ask too many questions about the damage to his teeth caused by his candy-heavy diet. In December 2004, Manchester escalated his efforts to maintain the illusion. He attended the church Christmas party in a bunny costume and donated more toys than anyone else.
RemiThe bunny costume is in the film.
AshleyThis makes no sense to me. Bunny is for Easter. Why would you wear a bunny costume to a Christmas party?
RemiYou know, I never really thought about that, but that is a good point. Why would you dress up like a bunny for Christmas?
AshleyManchester also spent $300 on decorations for Wainscott and rode bikes through the aisle at Toys R Us with her youngest daughter.
RemiAw. But he didn't teach her how to drive.
AshleyFor Christmas, he gave Lee diamond earrings and Pastor Smith the first two seasons of Seinfeld on DVD. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. Manchester decided to commit one last robbery on December 26,
John Zorn Meets Lee At Church
Ashley2004. His exact motivation isn't fully clear, but he likely needed money to sustain his double life, and some accounts suggest he hoped to save enough cash to start a new life with Wainscott elsewhere. He chose the day after Christmas because he thought Toys Arrest would have extra cash on hand due to post-holiday sales and returns. At some point prior to the robbery, Manchester broke into a pawn shop and stole a gun. Around sunrise on December 26th, he set fire to the dentist's office to eliminate the dental records that could potentially link his two identities.
RemiDid it explode because of the nitrous?
AshleyI do not know that, but it makes sense that that would happen. Manchester walked into Toys R Us as soon as it opened. After months of surveillance, he knew where employees would be positioned during the holiday rush. But this time, things went wrong almost immediately. While he was focused on corralling employees and gaining access to the safe, two workers slipped away and called the police. The first officer to arrive was off duty, but went as backup. Manchester punched him and fled just minutes before additional units arrived. With the help of police dogs, officers recovered $7,000 Manchester hid in ceiling tiles.
RemiOkay, $7,000. I think this guy was committing more robberies throughout this time. That is a lot of video games and toys to pawn. I seriously think he was doing some other shit during this time and just we never learned about it.
AshleyThey discovered his apartment next. Inside, they found teeth whitening trays from the same dentist's office he burned down hours earlier, along with a single fingerprint on a DVD case of ironically Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can.
RemiHey, our last season premiere.
AshleyAlso, just so funny that that's the movie, Catch Me If You Can, about just a career con man.
RemiIt is very ironic.
AshleyManchester's old mugshot was broadcasted on the news and quickly recognized by members of his church community. On January 5th, 2005, a few days after her fortieth birthday, investigators went to Wainscott's workplace.
SPEAKER_08The man that you've been dating is not who you think he is. The man that you've been dating is on America's Most Wanted. And I said, No way. You have the wrong guy. Absolutely not. I don't believe you. And pulled it up on my computer and showed me that he was on America's Most Wanted. I just panicked. I was in shock. I started crying and disbelief.
RemiAshley, how would you react if the police pulled you aside one day and revealed that I was on America's Most Wanted?
AshleyProbably exactly as Lee Wainscott did.
RemiWell, time will tell.
AshleyOfficers suspected Manchester might try to contact Lee and ask for her help. With police listening in, she invited him over for her birthday dinner. It sounds like authorities discovered his location because they trailed him as he drove to her apartment. Before pulling in, he suddenly made a U-turn, causing authorities to worry he was onto them. Instead, he pulled into a grocery store and came back out armed with flowers.
RemiNo balloons, though.
AshleyNo balloons, just flowers. He was arrested the moment he knocked on Wainscott's door. Wainscott was allowed a brief conversation with him before he was taken into custody. He pleaded with her to not be angry, said he lied to protect himself, and insisted his feelings for her and her kids were genuine. She was left with a complicated mix of emotions. Betrayal, grief, anger. In a news interview shortly after his arrest, she said, quote, I don't hate him. I'm disappointed and confused. I don't know whether to smack him or hug him. End quote. In December 2005, Manchester pled guilty to robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, arson, and escape, among other charges. He was sentenced to 35 to 40 years in prison to be served after his original sentence. It was clear the judge wanted to make an example of him. Manchester was initially held at Marion Correctional Institute. He's currently at Central Prison, North Carolina's oldest and most secure facility. The transfer was likely related to escape attempts in February 2009 and October 2017. State laws prevent the release of details surrounding those incidents.
RemiOh, I was very curious about those other two attempts. That's a bummer.
AshleyThey don't want to release any information in case other people would get ideas.
RemiIt was probably a good idea. This guy was good at planning things out. Until the end.
AshleyHe works in an industrial unit that includes a license plate fabrication shop and print facility. His earliest possible release date is December 4, 2036. He'll be 65 years old. Over the years, Manchester expressed genuine remorse for his crimes. He acknowledged the psychological harm he caused to his victims and family, and even said that he probably would have continued committing crimes if he hadn't been caught. Lee Wainscott, who remarried in 2016, was involved in the film's production and spoke about Manchester with genuine warmth, describing him as a wonderful person and the relationship as the most exciting time of her life.
RemiShe is also apparently in the film
The Last Robbery And The Sting
Remias a crossing guard at one point, but I did not spot her.
AshleyShe is. She's a crossing guard that is actually in the scene or immediately before the scene when Channing Tatum is arrested. And apparently, the actual police officers who interrogated Lee 20 years earlier played the cops questioning Don.
RemiAs far as I know, every police officer in this film is someone who was an arresting officer in the actual case.
AshleyWell, and what's crazy is the director just asked the officers to ask Don the same questions they asked Lee 20 years earlier, and then Dence responded. And Lee Wainscott was on set as this was filming and described it as a cathartic experience. So much so that she actually takes his weekly phone calls where they just kind of catch up.
RemiEvery single week to this day?
AshleyFrom the interview I saw that was filmed at the end of 2025. Yeah, she says he calls her every week and they just have a brief phone call, just kind of shooting the shit. As of October 2025, Manchester has not seen the completed film.
RemiBut he is happy that it was made, as far as I know.
AshleyThere is a fundraising effort in support of his potential application under North Carolina's Second Look Act, which allows certain long-serving inmates to see sentence review based on demonstrated rehabilitation. The fundraiser describes him as someone who, quote, lives every day with regret and is fully aware of the fear he caused. And that is the true story of Derek Cienfance's roofman. What do you think, Remy?
RemiI think that Jeffrey was very brilliant at planning things on the short term, but horrendous at planning things out in the long term, based on the story you just said. He didn't really have an exit strategy, did he? He was just gonna kinda keep living his life this way until whenever. So it was only a matter of time before he got caught. I mean, he did execute a lot of these robberies very tactfully, but he was only getting away with a few grand each time, meaning he had to keep doing it again and again and again. So this guy was like smart, but really short-sighted at the same time. However, I do think that his sentencing, for at least the original crime, was unfairly harsh. How many years did that sentence equate to?
AshleySo for his first conviction, which by the way, again, were the only crimes he had ever been convicted of, he was sentenced to 35 to 45 years in prison at just 29 years old. I think that is an incredibly harsh sentence for someone who was convicted of two robberies where no one was harmed and not a lot of cash was obtained. Yes, he was considered a suspect and all of these other robberies, but that's not what he was up for trial for. That should not have been considered in his sentence. As for his second sentence, sure, the escape should have been tacked on top. And you could even argue that the robbery for the Toys R Us and the Arson could have been tacked on top. But even with that, 35 to 40 years for those crimes is even really hefty.
RemiSo he was charged with kidnapping for those two crimes as well. And each of those tacked on several months on top of that. So what do you feel about that aspect of it? Do you think that was wrong that those were charged as kidnapping? Because it seems like the bulk of his sentence was based on the fact that he put them in the freezer.
AshleyNo, I don't think it was wrong for him to be charged with kidnapping. What I do think was potentially misguided is that the judges in both of these cases sentenced him to concurrent sentences, meaning he's gonna serve all of his time one after the other, rather than consecutively, where the sentences would be charged at the same time. I have seen people who have been convicted of murder, sentenced to less time than Jeffrey Manchester was for his first conviction, which isn't right.
RemiSo it's the concurrent aspect that you object with.
AshleyEspecially for someone who is less than 30 years old, convicted for the first time of any crime for robbing two McDonald's. To give that person 40 years in prison is a little insane.
RemiAnd I maintain the fact that they were pretty sure that he was the roof man played a factor in that.
AshleyHe was not convicted or charged of that. It should not have been considered.
RemiYou're right. Yes, it should not have been considered, but I think that it was. So with that, let's dive into our objection of the
Remorse, Second Look Act, Sentence Debate
Remiweek. Because oh boy, I bet we got a bunch here.
Objection of the WeekYour Honor, I object! And why is that, Mr. Reed? Because it's devastating to my case! Overrule. Good call!
AshleyAlright, I'm kicking us off here first, and I had so many to choose from. It took me a second. But what I landed on is when Jeff escapes from prison and lets go of the underbelly of that truck. He did not do so when the truck driver was stopping to take a piss, as was depicted in the film. In real life, he just detached when the truck slowed down.
RemiThat is a good one. I ended up having quite a few objections to this film. There were a lot of little changes here and there. The one I was leaning towards up until the very end was the fact that the singles mixer took place at a TGI Fridays in real life instead of a Red Lobster. But you know, there's licensing things. Maybe TGI Fridays didn't want to be involved in the film.
AshleyWell, and they did go to the singles mixers at Fridays, but their next date after that was at Red Lobster, which is why they went back time and time again. So the director just kind of smushed those.
RemiI believe I can sum up my objection for this week with the following Batman quote. Yes, as Jack Nicholson as the Joker so warmly put it, there are no balloons in the real story. Because in the film, when Mr. Manchester is heading back to Lee's apartment, he is carrying a bouquet of flowers and a bunch of balloons. But in reality, there were no balloons. So that is my objection of the week.
AshleyAs I was looking through my list, I came across my second objection, which should have been my first, is that Manchester slept on an inflatable pool float, not as was depicted in the film, pregnancy pass. But that's not what I picked. So, Remy, you win. Touche, my friend. Touche.
RemiAlright, winning with the balloons, which gleefully brings us to our final part of the podcast. Our verdict.
Objection of the WeekAt the conclusion of each episode, our hosts will deliver a verdict based on the film's accuracy. If the film is an honest portrayal of the events, then it will earn a not guilty verdict. If the adaptation is mostly factual, but creative liberties were taken for the sake of entertainment, the film will be declared a mistrial. But if the film ultimately strays too far from the truth, then it will be condemned as guilty and sentenced to a life behind bars.
RemiI will kick things off because you started with our objection previously. There were a lot of little changes in this film. At first I thought it was gonna be, you know, negligible, but there just kept being one after the other, after the other, after the other, until the very end. It seems like they changed so many little things throughout the entire story, from the fact that he worked at McDonald's, from the fact that he was not caught at his daughter's birthday party, from the fact that he had three counts of kidnapping in the film as opposed to eight counts, and he studied Toys R Us for several days before finally living there. And he moved into a whole new space in between Toys R Us and Circuit City. So yeah, it's kinda hard to ignore all of these things. Did they do a good job adapting this to the silver screen? Yes, absolutely. But in the end, it is not close enough to the real story to give it anything other than a mistrial in my mind. They did a good job, it's a good film, but as far as translating the true story beat for beat from what really happened, no, they changed way too many things. Ashley, what do you think?
AshleyI agree. I was very hopeful that this film would get a not guilty verdict, especially based on little hints you had been dropping throughout the week. I truly went into this thinking it was going to be not guilty. But in addition to the differences you pointed out, there's a lot of discrepancies throughout the entire movie. There's an entire difference of why he was in North Carolina when he got arrested in the first place. The year that he got arrested in the film was 2004. In reality, it was 2000. How he was caught and how Lee became involved with getting him caught was completely different.
Objection Of The Week Differences
AshleyShe didn't even work at Toys R Us. There was a lot of differences that were taken to streamline the film. And I will give the director credit. There was a lot of pieces from the original story that were incorporated in some way, but there were a lot of changes that were made to make it a more coherent narrative. While I understand why that decision had to be made, it does result in a mistrial.
RemiA mistrial verdict for the Roof Man. But what do we have on the horizon two weeks from now, Ashley? We're doing our old switcheroo that we do once per season, are we not?
AshleyWe are. We are tackling another film that's relatively new-ish, also about robbery, also involving a military veteran, which we didn't know when we originally made the outline for this season's episodes. We do make these well in advance, and sometimes we start researching episodes and notice connections that we were completely unaware of going in, but you know what? We're just gonna keep it. We are doing a film called Cherry that was released to Apple TV a few years ago. It is directed by the Russo brothers and starring Tom Holland, aka Spider-Man, another connection with Roofman.
RemiAnd the Russo Brothers are the directors who directed the Avengers movies, at least the biggest ones, Endgame and Infinity War, and they're also directing the new Doomsday saga. But in between those massive blockbuster superhero movies, they tried to branch out and do some other stuff, and Cherry was the first film they did after leaving Marvel. I remember seeing this film when it first came out, but I don't remember a tremendous amount about it. I have been reading the book, and it seems like they've did a good job adapting it from what I can remember, but Ashley, you'll have to see if that's
Final Verdict And Next Film Reveal
Remicorrect.
AshleyWell, it's also unique because the movie is based on a novel that was written by a guy who said the novel was loosely inspired by his true story. So technically, Cherry is based on a fictional piece of work, but the original book is loosely inspired by this guy's life, the author's life. So that's why we're doing it. So I'm very excited to know the true story.
RemiI will be doing double research on this one. I am not going to just be comparing the film to the book. I am going to be digging into this real guy's life and finding out what parts of the book were true and made up as well. So there's a lot to unpack here, and it's gonna be quite the episode, I'm sure.
AshleyAnd before you think I'm getting off easy, this movie is over two and a half hours. So both of us are in for it.
RemiYes, the only two things that I remember about this film are that it was unnecessarily long, and there is a scene where the camera is inside someone's butthole. So that's something to look forward to discussing two weeks from now.
AshleyAnd until then, please, please, please, if you enjoy what you're hearing, rate, comment,
Rate, Review, And Cherry Trailer
Ashleyreview, subscribe, share with friends. Stay tuned for the end of the episode for a little trailer of what's to come in two weeks. And until then.
RemiCourt is adjourned.
SPEAKER_16I'm 23 years old, and sometimes I wonder if life was wasted on me. I take all the beautiful things to heart. Till I about die from it. I am really happy you're here. Why that? Because I like you. You're right for me. Join the army.
SPEAKER_02Why would you do that?
SPEAKER_16Sometimes I feel like I've already seen everything that's gonna happen. That's a nightmare.
