Searchlight Pictures releases Rental Family in UK cinemas on January 16, 2026.
Synopsis
Set against modern-day Tokyo, the film 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.
Review
Rental Family is one of those rare, warm, and heartfelt movies that can offer a sense of healing that lingers long after the credits roll. Directed and co-written by Hikari—who brings the same intimate, “slice of life” energy usually seen in anime movies, the film transforms a questionable concept of a family rental service into a deeply personal journey for Phillip (Brendan Fraiser).
The best way to describe it for me would be that it feels like a live-action ‘slice of life’ anime in the best possible way, detailing the small, quiet and intimate struggles of life in big city, from the cramped commutes and awkward language barriers to the cold, tiny apartment where Phillip overlooks the lives of others from his window.
At the center of this story is the ever-talented Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vanderploeg, a struggling American actor adrift in the heart of Japan. Standing at 6’4″, Fraser physically stands out in nearly every scene, yet he portrays Phillip with a deep sense of displacement. He is a man who never quite fits into the frame, a literal and figurative outsider. When he is approached for a “unique” role at a specialized agency, he begins a job filling the gapped roles in client’s lives. Whether he is playing a friend to the lonely shut-in’s or a father to a mixed-race daughter, Phillip is tasked with inhabiting a lie to provide a sense of truth for his clients.
While I believe Fraser was the only person who could have played Phillip with such raw and unfiltered compassion, the supporting cast is equally bringing their A game. Takehiro Hira is excellent as the agency owner, providing a firm but friendly foil to Phillip’s growing emotional involvement with his strict rules about staying within the confines of the contract. Mari Yamamoto provides a necessary, darker perspective as Aiko, another actor at the agency whose experience as a woman involves far more uncomfortable and perverted requests, highlighting the complex issues with the Rental Family business. A shout out to Shannon Mahina Gorman who plays the young Mia Kawasaki with her struggles to reconnect with her absent ‘father’ who Phillip is pretending to be after her mother pays for the service.
Clearly the most intimate and difficult role for Phillip as we feel the weight of who he is pretending to be.
Inevitably, the film brings me to slightly compare it to “lost in translation”. However, where Bill Murray’s Bob Harris was a cynical movie star floating through Tokyo in a state of perpetual jet lag and detachment, Fraser’s Phillip is far more grounded and earnest. Unlike the moody isolation of Lost in Translation, which often romanticized the cultural distance, Rental Family treats Tokyo not as a mysterious backdrop, but as a real home that Phillip desperately wants to belong to. It’s less about being “lost” and more about finding a place to belong.
What takes the film truly soar is watching Fraser’s performance evolve from professional awkwardness to genuine, heart-on-his-sleeve connection. He doesn’t just “act” like he cares; he opens up with such realistic vulnerability that it feels as though he is legitimately making these connections himself. As Phillip fills the voids in the lives of his clients, he inadvertently begins to bridge the gaps of his own isolation. In a city where he initially had no one, he finds himself becoming someone’s best friend, a father, and even a husband.
Verdict
Rental Family is a bright and loud reminder that simply being there for somebody is a powerful act of compassion, proving that even a rented connection can lead to real, permanent connection.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
