In theaters via Searchlight Pictures on November 21st is ‘Rental Family’, a comedy drama about the lies we tell others (and ourselves) that explores a fascinating real-world service in Japan through the eyes of an American actor.
CzlVgjkJeOqcVOhbHLZ3h2Directed by Hikari (‘37 Seconds’), ‘Rental Family’ stars Brendan Fraser (‘The Whale’), Takehiro Hira (‘Shōgun’), Mari Yamamoto (‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’), Akira Emoto (‘Shin Godzilla’) and, making an impressive debut, Shannon Gorman.
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Initial Thoughts
Films that view Japan through the lens of outsiders can sometimes be distancing. Yet in ‘Rental Family’, co-writer/director Hikari has found an emotionally satisfying way into the unusual business of performers playing family members to help strangers through awkward social situations that not only has solid things to say about how we interact, but also tells a satisfying story.
Script and Direction
Hikari co-wrote the script with collaborator Stephen Blahut, and together, they have crafted a sensitive, well-sketched portrait of a man seeking his place in a changing world who finds it in the seemingly fake world of pretend relatives.
While there are initially concerns that one of the subplots –– about Fraser’s character pretending to be a journalist interviewing a famed filmmaker whose faculties are failing –– might seem less effective than the main story of his bonding with a young girl needing a father to help her pass a school admissions test –– it all gets tied together and works well.
Cast and Performances
Fraser, who won the Oscar for ‘The Whale’, is, if anything, even better here, his big frame juxtaposed with his fellow Tokyo residents for both comic and emotional effect. He’s superb in the role of a struggling actor looking to find meaning, and his scenes with Shannon Gorman as young Mia are particularly effective.
Yet the movie also boasts great roles for the likes of Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto, never neglecting to explore the inner worlds of the rental family company’s employees.
Final Thoughts
A movie such as this could, in the wrong hands, turn out mawkish and saccharine, but Hikari walks the line with such elegance and care that ‘Rental Family’ never has to lean on stereotype or crude laughs.
It’s a beautifully-crafted and effective comedy drama.
‘Rental Family’ receives 85 out of 100.
What’s the story of ‘Rental Family’?
Set in modern-day Tokyo, ‘Rental Family’ follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers.
As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.
Who is in the cast of ‘Rental Family’?
- Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vandarpleog
- Takehiro Hira as Shinji Tada
- Mari Yamamoto as Aiko Nakajima
- Akira Emoto as Kikuo Hasegawa
- Shannon Mahina Gorman as Mia Kawasaki
Selected Movies Starring Brendan Fraser:
- ‘Encino Man’ (1992)
- ‘School Ties’ (1992)
- ‘Airheads’ (1994)
- ‘George of the Jungle’ (1997)
- ‘Gods and Monsters’ (1998)
- ‘The Mummy’ (1999)
- ‘Bedazzled’ (2001)
- ‘Monkeybone’ (2001)
- ‘The Quiet American’ (2002)
- ‘Crash’ (2004)
- ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ (2008)
- ‘The Whale’ (2022)
- ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023)
- ‘Brothers’ (2024)
