Rental Family

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Rental Family

PG-13

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1h 43m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

138 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Verified Ratings

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.

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Critics Consensus

A sweet-natured dramedy about faking human connection until you make it, Rental Family provides Brendan Fraser an ideal showcase for his sensitive star power while backing him up with a terrific ensemble.

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Audience Says

A feel-good story to warm you up this holiday season, Rental Family explores loneliness while reaffirming the significance of human connection.

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

1d

2.5/4

A sweet, sentimental and fairly soggy drama with a novel dramatic conceit.

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Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

Nov 25

The main reason to see it is Brendan Fraser. He is perfectly cast in this role.

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

Nov 25

It has a terrific premise for a movie, at any rate... But it's a missed opportunity to get under the surface.

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Michael Cook

KARK-TV

1d

9.5/10

To see his [Fraser's] arc of becoming more connected with himself and other people is absolutely touching.

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Jana Monji

Age of the Geek

1d

4/5

"Rental Family" is a film about family, biological and happenstance, that is distinctly not family-friendly fare due to adult themes. The film benefits from Brendan Fraser's puppy-dog like charm.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

1d

A real old fashioned charmer.

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Marc

6h

Great story and acting!

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Maureen B

10h

Love it. Heartwarming story, wonderful acting and cinematography

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John S

19h

It’s a heartfelt story.

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Kathryn

21h

Beautiful story- it makes you laugh and cry and be thankful for friends and family.

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Robin

1d

Reminds you how important the human connection is.

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Xavier Z

1d

Absolutely beautiful movie with breathe taking cinematography and just a feel good movie

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HIKARI

Director

Brendan Fraser

Actor

Takehiro Hira

Actor

Mari Yamamoto

Actor

Shannon Gorman

Actor

Akira Emoto

Actor

Rental Family: Movie Clip - Token White Guy

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Rental Family: Movie Clip - Outsider

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Brendan Fraser on ‘Rental Family,’ His Iconic Career, and Teasing a New ‘Mummy’ Film

28:36

Rental Family: Exclusive Featurette - Building a New Family

2:17

Rental Family: Trailer 1

1:58

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Synopsis

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.

Director: HIKARI
Producer: Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, HIKARI, Shin Yamaguchi
Screenwriter: HIKARI, Stephen Blahut
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Co: Sight Unseen
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Suggestive Material|Some Strong Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2025, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.5M
Runtime: 1h 43m