Real-Life "Roofman" Hid in Toys "R" Us for 6 Months, Romanced Employee

According to the article, the true story behind the new film "Roofman" is so unbelievable that the director, Derek Cianfrance, had to leave out some details he didn't think audiences would accept. The film follows Jeffrey Manchester, an Army veteran and struggling father, who robs McDonald's restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs to afford the life he wants for his family.

After a daring jailbreak, Manchester secretly lives inside a Toys "R" Us for six months, where he manages to go undetected while attempting to rebuild his life, including starting a relationship with a divorced mom and store employee, Leigh Wainscott. However, his past eventually catches up with him.

Cianfrance reveals that there were many other wild events in Manchester's life that he couldn't include in the film due to the two-hour runtime. For example, Manchester once stole Hot Pockets from the Toys "R" Us manager and left a defiant note, and another time he went trick-or-treating in a giant bunny costume while surrounded by wanted posters of himself.

Despite the film's dramatization, Cianfrance and the team worked closely with Manchester and other real-life figures to ensure the story's emotional truth was captured. The director was struck by how positively the church pastor and Wainscott spoke of Manchester, despite the disruption he caused in their lives.