Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Roofman Review and After the Hunt Review says that one film is charmingly real, and the other is alarmingly phony.

Roofman Review — Authentic yet charmingly unbelievable

What a delightful, understated surprise we have in Roofman. It’s based on an almost unbelievable true story of an extremely charming Army veteran who finds he has no apparent skills for supporting his family—other than his knack for robbing  McDonalds franchises by cutting holes in their roofs, shimmying down, and politely robbing the employees of all the company’s cash.

He actually robbed 45 McDonalds franchises before getting caught. But that’s just in act one. How he manages to break out of prison and live undetected in a Toys “R” Us store is the stuff of legends, or of heartfelt family movies starring Channing Tatum giving one of the best performances of his career.

The down to earth humility is what makes this film so appealing. It depicts small town America at its faithful, trusting, hopeful best. It’s so nice not to be blasted by car chases and super powers and giddy special effects for a change. These are people who don’t need diamonds, jets, mansions or millions to lead good, happy lives. Family, friends and faith serve them nicely. Makes me nostalgic for the simple small town of my childhood. Of course it’s changed dramatically, but oh, those warm, fuzzy memories!

Kudos to a cast that also includes Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba and Ben Mendelsohn, for foregoing the cinematic glam squad and appearing on screen as normal folk, rather than movie stars or stereotypes. But most of all, cheers to Tatum, for convincing audiences to fall in love with a thief who’s stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars and inflicted untold damage on hundreds of people, but still comes across as the ultimate humble nice guy.

I also have great respect for director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines, Exhibiting Forgiveness) for not making a full-on, wacky, slapstick comedy out of this film. Don’t let the comedic poster fool and trailer fool you. Sure, it’s an amusing caper, but it’s friendly rather than frantic, and sweet, rather than silly.

It will keep audiences happily engaged right down to the end, which you will not see coming, and through the credits, when they run interviews of the real people involved in the story.

This is the kind of film you can watch with your friends, your kids, your mom—even your grandma. My prediction is that it will become a cheeky family classic, if your family can take some nudity and rough language.

Rated R

2 Hours, 6 Minutes

After the Hunt Review—Not what you’d expect

Julia Roberts is an actress so beloved that many fans are prepared to adore any movie she appears in, and rave about her performances regardless of how their quality. Don’t be fooled by a flashy cast and a director du jour (Luca Guadagnino). Neither the performances nor the film are anything to text home about.

It seems the miscast Roberts has a hard time wrapping her arms around the role of Alma, a cold, selfish, snobby and scheming alpha academic. She’s a Harvard professor angling for tenure, as is her BFF Henrik, played by Andrew Garfield, who for some reason comes across as an articulate drunk in almost every scene.

When Alma’s favorite student Maggie, the privileged daughter of major Harvard donors, accuses Henrik of rape, Alma is forced to choose how she’ll handle the situation and who she’ll believe, with almost every aspect of her life depending on her decisions. Ayo Edebiri as Maggie is also miscast, with her signature natural, uncertain and halting speech that serve her so well in The Bear, making her sound more like a Southside Chicago sous chef than an elite, Ivy League heiress.

None of the characters are very likable or relatable, so it’s hard to care about what happens to any of them, and the film’s two hour, 18 minute run time seems interminable. It doesn’t help matters that the plot has very little bark or bite. No statements made here, move along…please!

I think After the Hunt would come across much better on stage, with actors better suited to roles as arrogant models of elite academia, and perhaps a script polish from a more experienced writer than first timer Nora Garrett, who was reportedly working in AI when she sold her first script to Guadagnino. There are questionable choices all over this film.

Rated R

2 Hours 18 Minutes

If either this Roofman review or After the Hunt review encourages you to run down to the cineplex and catch a screening, find times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Roofman review and After the Hunt review says that one film is charmingly real, and the other is alarmingly phony.