Movie Review: ‘Rental Family’

Fraser plays American actor Phillip Vandarpleog hired by a firm in Japan to pose as different family members, with touching and turbulent results.

Brendan Fraser in 'Rental Family'. Photo by James Lisle/Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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.

Rental Family

"Happiness tailored to you!"

PG-13Drama Comedy

Release Date: Nov 21, 2025

Run Time: 1 hr 50 min

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto

Directed 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.

Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Shannon Gorman and Brendan Fraser in 'Rental Family'. Photo by James Lisle/Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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

Director Hikari on the set of 'Rental Family'. Photo by James Lisle/Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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

(L to R) Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, and Bun Kimura in 'Rental Family'. Photo by James Lisle/Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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.

(L to R) Akira Emoto and Brendan Fraser in 'Rental Family'. Photo by James Lisle/Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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.