Channing Tatum Captivates as Charming Burglar in 'Roofman'

The 2025 Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing, and Vulture is on the ground to report on the most talked-about films. Channing Tatum's performance in Roofman, the new movie from director Derek Cianfrance, is generating significant Oscar buzz. Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a charming burglar known as the "Roofman" who cuts through fast-food restaurant ceilings to steal cash. After escaping from prison, Manchester hides out in a Toys R Us store, where he develops a sweet romance with an employee played by Kirsten Dunst. Tatum's not-quite-sheepish grin and lithe dancer's body are put to great effect, and he excels at conveying the character's moral complexity.

Another standout at TIFF 2025 is Poetic License, the directorial debut of Maude Apatow. The film features rising stars Cooper Hoffman and Andrew Barth Feldman as collegiate besties Ari and Sam, who share a dynamic reminiscent of the Superbad duo. While they lack the hard-R vulgarity of their predecessors, Hoffman and Feldman bring a refreshing emotional openness to their performances.

Legendary actor Ian McKellen also commands the screen in Steven Soderbergh's The Christophers, playing an aging painter whose legend is beginning to fade. McKellen's deliberate energy and gravitas shine through, and he proves to be a captivating presence, even in his later years.