TIFF Review: Brendan Fraser Dazzles in the Charming, Subtle Family Rental

      There is a moment early in Hikari’s Rental Family that suggests a much darker, more unsettling narrative. Brendan Fraser, a charming Oscar winner for Darren Aronofsky’s unpopular The Whale, portrays a struggling actor in Tokyo named Philip. Eager to secure any job he can, for good reason, we see him at the beginning of the film during a failed audition, which seems to happen frequently. When his agent presents him with a well-paying gig that requires a black suit, Philip readily agrees. However, upon his arrival, he discovers something quite shocking—it is, as he describes it, “fake”—a staged funeral for a living person who surprisingly rises from the coffin to witness the fond words being spoken. After all, a gig is a gig, right?

      This moment occurs after the so-called funeral concludes. Philip re-enters the room, approaches the coffin, and lies down in it, closing his eyes. Psychologically, it's a thought-provoking action. What does this signify for Philip and his perspective on the value of his life and career as a performer? These are sensitive inquiries that Rental Family does not resolve. And that's perfectly fine. Frankly, there’s no reason to assume that a darker rendition of Rental Family would necessarily be a better film.

      What we have instead is sweet, highly watchable, and rather unremarkable. Hikari, who directed 2019’s 37 Seconds and several episodes of the Netflix series Beef, has crafted an old-fashioned fish-out-of-water crowd-pleaser that rightly relies on the star's performance and the peculiarity of its premise. In fact, there are companies in Japan that offer rental services where surrogates take on roles of mothers, fathers, siblings, friends, and so forth. This implies that there must be willing participants involved.

      It’s easy to see why a "big American" like Philip could thrive (figuratively speaking) as a human rental. Much like the actor portraying him, Philip is a gentle giant with a disarmingly goofy smile. He is a character with minimal personality; thus, it makes sense to hire him to act as, say, the husband for a woman looking to soothe her family's concerns before marrying her girlfriend. Other roles for Philip include a journalist interviewing a faded Japanese actor for a non-existent profile and the video game companion of a melancholic adult.

      The most engaging role Philip takes on in Rental Family is that of a father to a young girl needing two parents for admission into a prestigious school. The girl, Mia, is beautifully portrayed by young Shannon Mahina Gorman as a child yearning for connection with an absent parent. This plotline, unfortunately, holds no surprises; in fact, there are no surprises in Rental Family at all. (Hikari co-wrote the solid yet predictable screenplay with Stephen Blahut.) However, thanks to Fraser and Gorman, it’s hard not to be touched by the bond that forms between Philip and Mia. The other plotlines struggle to hold interest; engagement dwindles when "father" and "daughter" are not seen together on screen.

      Rental Family benefits from the performances of actors Takehiro Hira (as the agency owner) and Mari Yamamoto (as another rental actor). However, make no mistake: this is Fraser’s film, and he shines. Hikari seems to recognize the actor's genuinely endearing physicality. It's no surprise that she wraps up the film with Fraser's smiling face. The movie also features a delightful score from Jónsi and Alex Somers and earns extra points for including David Byrne’s “Glass, Concrete & Stone.”

      Rental Family could have explored deeper, darker, and bolder aspects of the human rental market. But that would create a different film altogether. It feels unfair to be overly critical of this light-hearted comedy-drama—especially given Fraser’s performance, which outshines the one that earned him an Oscar.

      Rental Family premiered at TIFF 2025 and is set to open in theaters on November 21.