Rental Family is a 2025 comedy-drama film directed by Hikari, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Blahut. The film stars Brendan Fraser as an American actor based in Japan who begins working for a rental family agency, where he fills in hired roles for strangers. Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, and Akira Emoto also star in the film.
An international co-production between the United States and Japan, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025, and was released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on November 21, 2025.
Plot
American actor Phillip Vandarploeug lives in Japan, where he constantly searches for a solid acting job following his success in a toothpaste commercial. He is stuck doing minor roles until he is hired by Rental Family, a company owned by Shinji that provides actors to play stand-in family members and friends for strangers. While reluctant due to its absurd premise, Phillip, desperate for funds, takes the job as the company's "token white guy."
Phillip's first job is to act as the fiancé of a woman named Yoshie, a lesbian who is already married and wants to perform a traditional wedding for her parents before she and her wife leave for Canada. Phillip nearly backs out, but commits and finds the experience rewarding. He takes on two additional jobs - one acting as the estranged father to a young Hāfu girl named Mia, whose mother Hitomi needs help getting her enrolled in a private school, and one acting as a journalist profiling retired actor Kikuo Hasegawa, who has dementia and is kept under constant surveillance by his daughter Masami.
Phillip begins to form strong bonds with Kikuo and Mia, who initially resents her "father" for abandoning her but is eventually convinced to spend time with him. When Phillip's agent tells him that he won a highly coveted role, Phillip declines it for Mia's sake. Hitomi warns Phillip against getting too close to Mia and is offended when he points out that she has Mia's whole life mapped out for her. At Masami's insistence, Phillip reluctantly declines Kikuo's request to take him to his childhood home. Phillip also learns that some of his coworker Aiko's jobs involve her pretending to be a mistress apologizing to the wives of unfaithful husbands, often resulting in her being physically abused. Phillip is reluctant to lose the connections he has made, though Shinji asserts that parting ways with clients is an inevitable part of the job.
Following the successful school interview, Phillip sadly tells Mia that he must return to the United States. His time with her inspires him to take Kikuo to visit his childhood home in the countryside, now overtaken by nature. Kikuo finds a time capsule he buried years ago and tearfully thanks Phillip for taking him. Shinji calls Phillip and berates him for "kidnapping" Kikuo, but Phillip accuses Shinji of using Rental Family to soullessly fill empty holes rather than make genuine connections. Shinji then dismisses his "wife" and teenage "son," revealing them to be rental family actors as well. Phillip rushes Kikuo to the hospital after the latter collapses from exhaustion, and is later arrested and detained for Kikuo's abduction.
Mia discovers Phillip's true identity when she recognizes him in a TV movie. She is initially upset with her mother for lying to her, but soon forgives her. During another session where Aiko acts as a man's mistress, she breaks character, informs the man's wife of the truth, and leaves. She and fellow worker Kota pretend to be lawyers to get Kikuo to admit to what actually happened. Shinji also arrives posing as a police detective. Phillip is released and thanks them for helping him. Some time later, Kikuo dies in his sleep. Aiko, Shinji, Kota, and Phillip attend his funeral.
Phillip visits Mia, who was accepted into the school. He reintroduces himself to her and the two continue spending time together as friends. Phillip continues working for Rental Family, which discontinues its practice of the "apology services" that led to Aiko's abuse. Phillip prays at the shrine where Kikuo once did during one of their sessions.
Cast
Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vandarploeug, an American actor living in Japan
Takehiro Hira as Shinji, the Rental Family agency owner
Mari Yamamoto as Aiko, an employee of the Rental Family agency
Shannon Mahina Gorman as Mia Kawasaki, a young girl in need of a father figure
Akira Emoto as Kikuo Hasegawa, a Rental Family client and retired actor
Shino Shinozaki as Hitomi, Mia's mother and a Rental Family client
Kimura Bun as Kota, an employee of the Rental Family agency
The film was expected to launch in the low digits, projected to make $2.6 million in its opening weekend.[15][16] It would make $3.3 million in its opening weekend.[3]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 110 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "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."[17] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 68/100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[19]
Pete Hammond for Deadline calls the movie "sweet and lyrical" and "a gentle film, the kind of lower-key humane comedy we don’t see often these days."[20] Dieter Oßwald praises on the German arthouse portal Programmkino.de "the delightful ease with which the film, as both amusing and thought-provoking, explores identity, lies, and loneliness." Fraser seemingly presents himself effortlessly as a believable resilient character with enormous potential for empathy. "He delivers a truly Oscar-worthy performance in a heartwarming crowd-pleaser with depth."[21]
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