Genre: Comedy / Drama
Duration: 110 minuten
Country:
United States / Japan
Directed by: Hikari
Stars: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto
IMDb score:
7,7 (14.430)
Releasedate: 21 November 2025
Rental Family plot
"Happiness tailored to you!"
A lonely and destitute American actor lives in Tokyo. He takes a job at a company that sends out employees to fill in for clients. While working, he forges deep connections with the people he meets and unexpectedly finds happiness with his new family.
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Reviews & comments
scorsese
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- 13150 messages
- 11067 votes
A good film about an American actor struggling to find work in Japan. An original and engaging premise, and the setting (Tokyo) is perfect. A beautiful film about human relationships that sometimes feels a bit too forced. Brendan Fraser is well-cast and doesn't disappoint in the slightest.
mrklm
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- 11374 messages
- 9897 votes
After filming a toothpaste commercial, American actor Philip Vanderploeg [Brendan Fraser] has settled in Japan, but he hasn't yet found his feet. A remarkable job as a "sad American" leads Philip to Rental Family, a casting agency that hires actors for a fee to help them overcome relationship, personal, or psychological problems. Philip seizes the opportunity to work there, but two jobs change his perspective on his work, Japanese culture, and himself. He has to pose as Mia's [Shannon Mahina Gorman] biological father to boost her confidence for an admission to a prestigious school, and he poses as an old friend of a former top actor with dementia [Akira Emoto]. An excellent blend of comedy and drama, Hikari (aided by the excellent cast) never lapses into sentimentality and, moreover, provides a fascinating insight into (and critiques of) Japanese culture.
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14503 messages
- 4508 votes
Hikari needs about 10 minutes to find its pace and tone. We're all familiar with that thing about Fraser just missing the subway. But once the tone and pace are established, this is a beautiful film full of small human moments that consistently strike the right chord. Fraser now plays a more subdued role, less theatrical than in The Whale, and he's a thousand times more impressive this way. A brilliant performance. Fine atmospheric images of Japan and a nice glimpse into that culture—this film could only have been conceived there. A single subplot tries a bit too hard for Hollywood, but the beautiful moments (especially with the older man) outweigh the drama. 4.0*.
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