RENTAL FAMILY

Director: Hikari
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, Helen Sadler, Paolo Andrea Di Pietro

Brendan Fraser won the Oscar in 2023 for his performance in The Whale. He gives an equally compelling performance in the touching new film Rental Family. He plays Phillip, an American actor living in Tokyo who has been stuck getting small gigs like mascots or being a background extra. Some people recognize him from a toothpaste commercial. He feels stuck in a rut unsure of where his life and career are headed. His latest gig has him playing a mourner at an unconventional funeral, and it’s there where he’s given a business card for a company called Rental Family. They provide a service where you can hire a stranger to stand in and help support you for any situation you need. Mental health is stigmatized and this is a way around a traditional therapist. Phillip would use his acting skills posing as the “token white guy” for new clients needing an emotional support person. He reluctantly accepts, first posing as a woman’s husband so she can secretly wed her girlfriend. He then poses as a young girl’s father so she can be accepted into a prestigious school. He also poses as a journalist interviewing an elderly actor who has been diagnosed with dementia. This new role is beyond anything he ever could have imagined. In theaters

Here’s my review