RENTAL FAMILY: 3 ½ STARS. “never slips into performative mawkishness.”
SYNOPSIS: In “Rental Family,” a new dramedy now playing in theatres, Brendan Fraser is a lonely, Tokyo based professional stand-in, portraying friends or family members at funerals and social gatherings, who discovers the meaning of true connection through his work.
CAST: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto. Directed by Hikari.
REVIEW: Low key and heartfelt, “Rental Family” succeeds because of star Brendan Fraser’s innate ability to portray an expressive soulfulness without slipping into performative mawkishness.
In a tender performance, Brendan Fraser plays Phillip Vandarploeug, an American actor living in Japan. His shot at fame, playing a superhero in a toothpaste commercial, was years ago and now he struggles to get by. When another acting audition goes south, he takes a job with Shinji (Takehiro Hira) at a company called Rental Family whose perky slogan reads, “Happiness Tailored to You!”
The gig sounds simple—provide commitment free companionship, stand-in for a long-lost relatives at funerals, essentially be a rent-a-relative in an era of alienation—but over time Phillip finds himself using less of his acting techniques and giving more of himself to the clients who have hired him for faux emotion.
“Rental Family” is a gentle movie with a simple message. Phillip learns the importance of being there for another person; how companionship, finding your logical family, benefits both parties. It’s not a new idea, but the unique setting and circumstance prevents the episodic story from slipping too far into fish-out-of-water cliché.
As he did in “The Whale,” Brendan Fraser brings quiet empathy to an introspective character who feels disconnection from society. The situations are different, but both characters create bonds with others to self-heal. Phillip is awkward, but Fraser goes deep, turning him into a nuanced character, more defined by the character’s inner life than his physical self. It’s a warm, respectful performance that anchors the film in tenderness.
He’s ably supported by Mari Yamamoto as a fiercely independent, morally conflicted Rental Family employee, Takehiro Hira as the unflappable agency owner and Akira Emoto whose moving work as a retired actor with a failing memory provides many of the film’s poignant moments.
“Rental Family” is a quiet comedy, but with a loud, beating heart.
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