Rental Family (2025)

Film Details

Director: Hakari

Run Time:

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, Akiro Emoto, Shannon Gorman, Kimura Bun

Synopsis

Struggling to find purpose, an American actor living in Japan lands himself an unusual gig, to play stand-in roles for strangers.

My Review

Rental family is like a warm hug, it is heartfelt and hilarious in equal measure and a role perfectly suited to Brendan Fraser’s kind and caring demeanour. I have rarely seen a character where I so wholeheartedly believed in their empathetic nature, highlighting Frasers ability to create grounded and believable characters that audiences can fall in love with. Hikari utilises the common practice of ‘rental family’ services in Japan to explore important themes about human connection, kindness and empathy, creating a film that can have you laughing or crying within a few precious moments of each other.

My rating: 7.8 out of 10

Thanks for reading.

Film Review Club