If actors go where the work is, Japan doesn’t seem like quite a stretch. The work does.
In “Rental Family,” Brendan Fraser plays Phillip, a down-on-his-luck actor who isn’t getting many gigs as the token American. When he accepts a “different” role as a mourner at a faked funeral, Philip gets an offer to play other based-in-reality parts. Since his gig in a toothpaste commercial has ended, he’s more than willing to play everything from a journalist to a fake husband.
His close encounter as a young girl’s dad gives Phillip plenty of opportunity to stretch. But his guise as a rental dad to 11-year-old Mia (Shannon Gorman) proves too difficult to drop. The girl doesn’t know he’s posing and is eager to understand why he left her and her mother. Naturally, the "faux pa" is charmed and pulled in. The two go on plenty of bonding adventures and look headed for a relationship after the show closes.
Shannon Gorman, left, and Brendan Fraser in "Rental Family." Fraser stars as an actor who works for a "rental family" agency playing stand-in roles for strangers.
Ah, but this is where director Hikari works her magic. She shows where the “rental” business has its pitfalls and where it actually might work.
“Rental Family” is blessed with smart performances up and down the line: Takehiro Hira is appropriately droll as the company owner; Akira Emoto is affecting as the actor who doesn’t want to be forgotten. The encounters aren’t just hit-and-run. They’re imprints on Phillip’s heart.
Brendan Fraser, left, and Akira Emoto in "Rental Family."
And, as we learned with “The Whale,” Fraser is an actor who can feel plenty. He brings out the best in his co-stars and isn’t afraid to reveal he has learned something in the process.
“Rental Family” shows off Japan, too, and suggests there’s value in tradition and respect.
When Mia learns the truth about the man who could change her life, “Rental Family” touches us in ways we didn’t think possible.
It’s a great family film for the holidays. Watch it with someone you love and you’ll realize how important gestures of caring really are.
