RENTAL FAMILY -- A Warm Hug

Review by Adam Donato

Brendan Fraser has seemingly already completed the fairytale narrative of his career. The goofy hunk returns to Hollywood and wins Best Actor. Now he stars in another potential awards player in Rental Family. The film is directed by Hikari, who recently directed some of Beef for Netflix after directing a few Japanese features. The story follows an American actor struggling to find meaningful roles in Japan until he gets recruited by a Rental Family company that hires actors for social situations. What does Fraser do when the relationships he’s artificially forming start to leave an impression on him?

Feel-good movie to the max. Hikari is instantly a name to be watched going forward, and this movie’s likability is hopefully enough to sneak it into some awards conversations. The story has Fraser developing relationships with different types of clients that complement each other perfectly. It really speaks to the concept of perception versus reality. In a world where AI is making our world more fake, this movie explores how dangerous it can be for us to manipulate others with manufactured connections. While America is currently worried about getting rid of immigrants, Hikari uses this film as an opportunity to express to white Americans how difficult it is to make a life in another country. Fraser looks different from everyone else, speaks a different language, and experiences racial microaggressions that limit his career opportunities on a regular basis. Despite these disadvantages (which would be worse in America), the character persists and is able to connect with his fellow man.

Arguably the greatest Fraser performance of all time? The Smashing Machine saw The Rock actually try despite a career history of blockbuster action movie roles, but the conversation seems to be to make him wait to reward him. The Whale was Fraser’s first nomination, and he won. Now it seems he has the opportunity to chase sustained critical success. While The Whale had Fraser looking nearly unrecognizable, Rental Family sees a Fraser that could make you imagine a The Mummy requel much more realistically. Whether it’s standing in as the father of a precocious girl or taking in wisdom from an elderly former actor, Fraser brings a softness that makes for a wonderful experience. He has this oafish element to him that adds a lot of humor to the film. This performance carries the ability to make audiences happy and sad cry. More often, a movie’s issue is running too long, but Rental Family could’ve allowed audiences to hang out with this guy for longer. 

Rental Family will indeed get good word of mouth this winter to put it on cinephile’s radar, but Wicked: For Good will totally dwarf it at the box office. The Whale made good money when all was said and done, but it’s still up for debate whether Fraser had any box office pull. Regardless of success, Rental Family is a delightful film that can appeal to anybody. Be sure to check out Rental Family in theaters while it lasts. 

Rental Family is in theaters on November 21.

Rating: 4/5