Rental Family

We saw this at TIFF, including a great Q&A with the director afterward. Brendan Fraser is fantastic, as are several of the Japanese actors. The basic premise - that people can be rented to act as substitute friends or family - was shocking to us but is evidently a real part of Japanese culture. While there are numerous minor story arcs, two main ones are each quite compelling; one involving a fatherless girl, and another a fading old man. Their stories will make you both smile and weep.

The concept is really intriguing given some of us go through life longing to feel a certain way and never having the chance to!

The movie is an affectionate journey through Japan following Phillip, passionately portrayed by Brandon Frasier; a lonesome American actor struggling to find his next big break.

It had so many beautiful moment, I just felt I needed to sit with some of it before moving on to the next shot or sequence. Jonsi's music heightens the film's heart warmth and uplift. Highly recommended.

It was going to happen at some point that someone turns this real life industry into a major film. The Japanese rental family introduces all kinds of moral issues.

Brendan Fraser's Philip is a struggling American actor in Tokyo. He doesn't buy into being a fake husband, father, journalist, or friend easily. He properly conveys the moral weight of the rental family while making the best of this situation.

This is potentially heavy material, Yes people's lives are affected, often for the better and sometimes for the worse, but it's handled in a lighthearted engaging way.

It may feel cliché the way things ultimately unravel but this is a smartly made film that leaves you with something to think about.

As someone less familiar with Japanese filmography beyond a watch of the recent hit, Shogun, this was refreshingly different, but not in an unapproachable way; the friendly face of Brendan Fraser provides an instant point of recognition for westerners such as myself. Throughout this two-hour journey, the audience are given insight into the many joys and throws of modern Japanese culture, whether it comes from cleverly written emotional dialogue or visual cues such as the Monster Cat Festival - yet the film is far from an oversimplification of modern Japan - as Takehiro Hira says in an opening sequence, you could live in Tokyo for 100s of years and still not uncover all of its secrets. Director Hikari builds upon this cultural foundation with a poignant and hilarious emotional odyssey, featuring gut-wrenching moments of pain juxtaposed by much needed comedic relief. Neither sides are done cheaply - although the plot is generally predictable, it does not need to be complex; the writing is intelligent enough by itself. I thoroughly look forward to the film's general release, when I will be attending again for a second viewing!

Rental Family is a film that just recently made it onto my radar, and I'm so glad it did. I'll always give a film starring Brendan Fraser a chance. I love him and have so much respect for his work. Once again taking on a dramatic role, Fraser proves his acting abilities here with a quiet, emotional performance that truly anchors the story. The film centers around Phillip (Fraser), a struggling actor living in Tokyo who takes a job at a "rental family" agency, where his work involves pretending to be someone in a stranger's life.

Most of the film focuses on Phillip's assignment as the father to a young girl who has never met her real dad, and it's through this relationship that the story finds its emotional core. There are other subplots as well, but I won't get into those details here. What really stood out to me were the moments of genuine emotion. There were scenes that had my eyes welling up, in the best way possible. The premise could have easily come across as something cheesy or sentimental, like a made-for-TV movie, but director Hikari brings a sense of maturity, charm, and humor that makes it feel grounded and authentic.

I never watched Hikari's show Beef on Netflix, though I've heard great things about it, and now I see why she's so highly regarded. This is a very talented filmmaker with a strong sense of empathy and visual storytelling, and Rental Family further proves her skill. I especially appreciated how the film explores the moral complexities of Phillip's job - a profession that actually exists in real life. There's a fascinating gray area here about whether what he's doing is right or wrong, and the film doesn't shy away from asking those difficult questions.

If I had one minor critique, it's that there are a couple of moments that, while effective, feel a bit emotionally manipulative - like the filmmakers were pushing a little too hard to make the audience feel something. That said, those instances are rare, and Rental Family still worked for me about 95% of the time. It's a heartfelt, thought-provoking, and beautifully made film that ranks among the best I've seen in 2025. When it hits theaters, I highly recommend giving it a watch.