Channing Tatum’s Rooftop Robber movie offers a ton of songs throughout the movie. Despite being a crime/drama movie surrounding the stranger-than-fiction life of robber Jeffrey Manchester, the film has a surprising number of songs, with a feel of the early 2000s.
Although a full soundtrack album hasn’t been released, several songs have been featured on the film’s IMDb page. In fact, here’s a quick table of all the confirmed songs used in the movie.
Roofman Soundtrack is Heavily Inspired by Christmas
Based on the real story of criminal Jeffrey Manchester, the events of Roofman follow his descent into heists, his run from the police, and his eventual stay at an abandoned building near Toys R Us.
Eating baby food and exploring the aisles of the store when it closed at night, Jeffrey Manchester stayed for quite some time until his discovery and imprisonment.
However, the soundtrack of Roofman seems to be heavily inspired by Christmas. The film features several tracks that are melodic and soulful in nature.
Of course, the real events also take place during Christmas (doubtful), so it’s natural that music composer Christopher Bear used Christmas and carols as an inspiration for his soundtrack.
However, it’s not just the Christmas tone of the movie that helped shape the soundtrack. Instead, the film’s soundtrack beautifully complements the events of the film and often sharply contradicts them.
How Roofman’s Soundtrack Complements Its Melodrama Character Study
The film is a character study where the secluded and claustrophobic life of Jeffrey Manchester has been given the center stage. Channing Tatum’s charm as Manchester fades away as soon as he ends up in a secluded place while also trying to repair his doomed romance, the struggle for a new life, and the heavy theme of systemic failure.
On the contrary, the soundtrack features upbeat and classic pop songs, especially holiday classics. This was a deliberate choice to signify the stranger-than-fiction story of Manchester and his adventures as the Rooftop Robber.
Not only does the soundtrack highlight the bizarre set of circumstances, but it also provides a stark contrast to Manchester’s claustrophobic life, while grandiose and ‘freeing’ songs play in the backdrop.
Naturally, the musical score provides a juxtaposed life where Jeffrey Manchester is going through emotional turmoil while the world around him feels like ‘happy-go-lucky’.
It’s quite a wonderful composition that contrasts beautifully with the heavy, influential tone of the film. Even critics have praised Christopher Bear’s artistic choice for music composition, as the music tells a different tale while the eyes see a different reality.
Do you think the soundtrack for Roofman has justified the movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Roofman is currently screening in theaters worldwide.
