Directed by Hikari, Rental Family follows the story of Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser), a struggling actor who has been living in Japan for the past seven years. When he is presented with an opportunity to work for a rental family agency where he would play whatever role necessary for strangers, he is unsure but reluctantly goes for it. But when one of his roles involves acting as a father to a little girl named Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), the lines between performance and reality start to blur.
I had no idea what to expect going into this film. While it looked cute from the trailer, but that was about it. The concept was also unlike anything I had ever heard of before. I’m so glad I went with my gut on this one because I got so much more than I ever could have expected.
As predicted, Fraser is excellent as the lead. He brings a vulnerability and charm that was lovely to watch. He’s hesitant about taking on this opportunity, but the connections he makes not only with those that he is hired to work for, but those of his colleagues at the agency itself ultimately win out in the end. I have loved everything this man has been doing since he came back onto our screens with The Whale and I can’t wait to see what he tackles next.
The film would be incomplete without the strong supporting cast. Takehiro Hira stars as Shinji Tada, the creator of the rental agency. Mari Yamamoto portrays Aiko Nakajima and Kimura Bun is Kota Nakano, two of the other actors. The bond that forms between these three and Phillip is the true definition of found family. Gorman was obviously a scene stealer for me – I loved her scenes with Fraser – and I also enjoyed the storyline with Akira Emoto as Kikuo Hasegawa, a retired actor who believes Phillip is writing an article about him, but who really just needs a companion.
What I didn’t know going into this was that these rental family agencies really do exist. I thought that this was so interesting to learn and I’m sure that the film only scratched the surface. The beautiful scenery and landscapes were a dream; if I didn’t want to visit Japan before, I certainly do now. It really just served as the perfect backdrop to this story.
Rental Family is about human connections and how we need that now more than ever. The various people that the audience meets throughout are all special in their own way. They’ll have you laughing, crying and feeling every emotion in between. It stayed true to itself and will certainly leave a lasting impression.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️
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