Rental Family

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1:58

Rental Family

PG-13

In Theaters Fri Nov 21

1h 43m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 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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In Theaters Fri Nov 21

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HIKARI

Director

Brendan Fraser

Actor

Takehiro Hira

Actor

Mari Yamamoto

Actor

Shannon Gorman

Actor

Akira Emoto

Actor

Robert Daniels

Screen International

In a role requiring far less artifice than his physically transformative Oscar-winning performance in The Whale, Fraser puts a face to forlornness in an unconventional, endearing crowd pleaser.

Sep 12, 2025

Full Review

Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Hikari’s fluid filmmaking is alert to nuance, humour and wisdom in unexpected places, and she makes Tokyo looks absolutely luminous.

Sep 12, 2025

Full Review

Radheyan Simonpillai

Guardian

The new film from co-writer and director Hikari is enamoured (or even consumed) by the very artificiality it’s about, and too timid to scratch past the surface in a way that might threaten the easy laughs and mawkishness it’s ultimately after.

Sep 12, 2025

Full Review

Doug Jamieson

The Jam Report

While the film itself occasionally falters, leaning too heavily on sentimentality and a loose, episodic structure, Brendan Fraser’s performance elevates the material into something quietly resonant.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 24, 2025

Full Review

Audrey Fox

Looper.com

Hikari's "Rental Family" is an earnest and sentimental exploration of loneliness and the longing for human connection.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 22, 2025

Full Review

Chase Hutchinson

The Inlander (Spokane, WA)

Though ultimately built to be an earnest crowdpleaser, there are many intriguing and thorny moments where it's as if a fantastic Fraser is playing the chaotic good version of Nathan Fielder from The Rehearsal. It's this that ensures it cuts a bit deeper.

Sep 21, 2025

Full Review

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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: Knockonwood, Sight Unseen
Rating: PG-13 (Some Strong Language|Thematic Elements|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2025, Wide
Runtime: 1h 43m