Rental Family (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – A lonely American actor living in Tokyo starts working for a Japanese “rental family” company to play stand-in roles in other people’s lives. Along the way, he finds surprising connections and unexpected joys within his built-in family.

My Take – Though for most of us Brendan Fraser will always be known as the face of the much-beloved ‘The Mummy‘ franchise and for his comedy roles in films like Encino Man (1992) and George of the Jungle (1997), his comeback dramatic role in The Whale (2022), which garnered him multiple awards including the much coveted Best Actor at the 2023 Oscars, changed his position as a performer in the eyes of the audience.

A stance I believe he is determined to maintain considering his brings in yet another peerless performance as an unconventional hero in this latest directorial effort from former Japanese actress Hikari (who also helmed three episodes of the sinister Netflix series ‘Beef‘), even though it falls on the extreme opposite of the mood spectrum from what one would expect.

Based on an actual niche service, that stretches all the way back to the 90s, in Japan that supplies actors who perform as bit players in everyday people’s lives, where they are hired by clients to fake it in roles as a family member, a friend or even the cheering audience at a karaoke bar, all in the hopes of helping people achieve a sense of emotional healing, affirmation or comfort. With a concept such ripe for comedic and emotional potential, it gives Fraser the opportunity to inhabit multiple roles, while turning the lens back on the audience to consider what they are looking for in the most heartwarming way.

Most surprisingly, despite the absurdity of the premise, director Hikari, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut, isn’t interested in laughing at the people who use the service, but instead explores the importance of human need for connection and conversation, even if it’s not exactly authentic.

Sure, the script doesn’t take many risks and lets itself down slightly by never daring to dive too deeply into the ensemble cast, leaving us to fill in the ambiguity, yet, it works as an effective melodrama and a moving exploration of cultural loneliness, particularly when it blurs the lines between the fake and genuine relationships. Leaving us with a resonating mix of comedy, drama, emotion, and sadness that makes the film a standout experience. At no time does it fail to soothingly entertain us, delivering a feature that sticks in our minds long after we have left the screening.

The story follows Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser), a middle-aged American actor who has lived in Tokyo for the past seven years, acting in commercials and TV. Though he had his fifteen minutes of fame fronting up a toothpaste advert, but since then Phillip’s job prospects have mostly dried up. Hoping to keep his career rolling, he decides to take up a gig with a different type of agency.

Rather than acting in media productions, Phillip is hired by an energetic, no-nonsense guy called Shinji (Takehiro Hira) to play stand-ins for selling emotions because he needs a “token white guy” — a job that somehow doesn’t sit well with him at first, but reluctantly decides to give it a try. Initially, his assignments are for relatively minor acts of deception. However, along the way Phillip surprisingly starts building connections and begins finding unexpected joys he never thought he could ever feel.

Without a doubt what director Hikari and co-writer Stephen Blahut have done here is both fascinating and fresh. They have created a story about disconnection and human experience that feels inspired without being clichéd. Though, there’s a nagging sense of moral conflict to see Phillip play different roles for the clients. They have dissected the worst of human behavior and also found optimism in it.

This is especially true when Phillip becomes too attached to his job, notably when he acts as an estranged father to a young girl, Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman). What begins as an awkward father-daughter relationship culminates in one of the film’s most beautiful moments as Phillip works hard to earn Mia’s trust, ultimately leading to a mutual bond between the two.

The subtle emotional weight continues with him taking on another job, acting as a journalist to cover a story about Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), a retired actor suffering from dementia. From there on the emotional journey that Phillip takes leads him in different directions, experiencing epiphanies that will make viewers ask questions of their own.

While the film could have so easily fallen into the trappings of being a fish-out-of-water comedy about an American learning about a new culture, it keeps its focus on exploring the sting of being alone and captures the importance of human interaction, even if it’s done in unorthodox fashion. Becoming increasingly emotive without becoming overly sentimental.

Yes, the film may have benefited from exploring the unique business and stripping back another layer, like the nitty gritty about how the company exactly came to be. A montage shows the type of work Phillip’s colleagues do, but the film is so caught up in Phillip’s stories that some of the larger picture gets ignored.

However, the perils of the job are perfectly addressed in a recurring mistress role played by Aiko (Mari Yamamoto). It’s a plot thread that only gets three scenes, but remains an intriguing theme till the end. However, amid that cynical world view sits Phillip, who looks to enrich his life by embodying fictional characters and grows up to understand far more about Japanese culture and traditions than he did before he undertook these deceptive acting roles.

Performance wise, Brendan Fraser is a delight here. He makes Phillip instantly likable and tender that too without much backstory to garner empathy. Although this role isn’t nearly as dramatic, Fraser gives his all throughout. Making us laugh, cheer and cry, particularly in his interactions with talented young actress Shannon Mahina Gorman.

Aside from Fraser, Mari Yamamoto (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) has some of the best moments in the narrative, and she is excellent throughout. Offering solid ensemble support are Takehiro Hira, Akira Emoto, Kimura Bun and Shino Shinozaki. On the whole, ‘Rental Family‘ is a charming and delightful yet poignant comedy drama anchored by yet another winning Brendan Fraser performance.