Rental Family

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Rental Family
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHikari
Written by
  • Hikari
  • Stephen Blahut
Produced by
  • Eddie Vaisman
  • Julia Lebedev
  • Hikari
  • Shin Yamaguchi
Starring
CinematographyTakurō Ishizaka
Edited byAlan Baumgarten
Thomas A. Krueger
Music by
Production
companies
  • Sight Unseen Productions
  • Domo Arigato Productions
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 6, 2025 (2025-09-06) (TIFF)
  • November 21, 2025 (2025-11-21) (United States)
  • February 27, 2026 (2026-02-27) (Japan)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Japan
Languages
  • English
  • Japanese
Box office$27.4 million[2][3]

Rental Family is a 2025 comedy-drama film directed by Hikari, who co-wrote it with Stephen Blahut. It stars Brendan Fraser as an American actor based in Japan who begins working for a rental family agency, where he plays roles in the lives of strangers. The supporting cast includes Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, and Akira Emoto.

An international co-production between the United States and Japan, Rental Family premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6 and was released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on November 21, 2025. The film was officially released in Japan on February 27, 2026. It received positive reviews from critics, who singled out Fraser's performance. The National Board of Review included it on its list of the year's top 10 films.

Plot

American actor Phillip Vanderploeg lives in Tokyo and constantly searches for work following his success in a toothpaste commercial seven years earlier. He is stuck taking minor roles until being hired by Rental Family, a company that provides actors to play stand-in family members and friends for strangers. Initially reluctant due to its absurd premise, Phillip, desperate for funds, accepts after the company's owner, Shinji, insists that they need a "token white guy".

Phillip is hired to act as the fiancé of Yoshie, who wants to perform a traditional wedding for her parents. Phillip nearly bails, reluctant to lie to Yoshie's family, but his co-worker Aiko convinces him to commit. After the wedding, Phillip discovers that Yoshie is a closeted lesbian who is already married and is planning to secretly depart to Canada with her wife. They profusely thank him for his help, giving him a different perspective on the job.

Phillip takes on a long-term job acting as the estranged father of a young half-Japanese girl named Mia, whose single mother, Hitomi, believes that presenting Phillip as Mia's real father (even to Mia herself) will help Mia enroll in a private school. In another long-term role, Phillip is hired by Masami to act as a journalist profiling her father Kikuo Hasegawa, a retired actor with dementia; Masami hopes Phillip will make Kikuo feel remembered.

Phillip forms strong bonds with Kikuo and Mia, who initially resents her "father" for abandoning her but eventually warms up to him. Phillip's agent informs him that he has landed a highly coveted role, which he declines for Mia's sake. Hitomi warns Phillip against getting too close to Mia and is offended when he criticizes her for planning Mia's whole life for her.

At Masami's insistence, Phillip reluctantly declines Kikuo's request to take him to his abandoned childhood home in Amakusa. He also learns that some of Aiko's jobs involve her pretending to be a mistress apologizing to the wives of unfaithful husbands, often resulting in the women physically assaulting her. Phillip is reluctant to lose the connections he has made, but Shinji asserts that parting ways with clients is a brutal but inevitable part of the job.

Following the successful school interview, Phillip is forced to tell Mia that he must return to the United States. His time with her inspires him to take Kikuo to Amakusa. There, Kikuo finds a time capsule containing pictures of himself with his first wife, who died of an illness shortly after he left her to pursue his acting career in Tokyo; he breaks down upon seeing the photos and tearfully thanks Phillip for bringing him.

Shinji calls Phillip and berates him for "kidnapping" Kikuo, but Phillip accuses him of using Rental Family to soullessly fill empty holes rather than make genuine connections. Kikuo collapses from exhaustion and is rushed to the hospital by Phillip, who is arrested for Kikuo's abduction.

Mia discovers Phillip's true identity when her friend recognizes him on television. She is initially upset with her mother for lying to her, but later forgives her. During another session where Aiko acts as a man's mistress, she suddenly breaks character, informs the man's wife of the truth, and leaves, later making an oral resignation to Shinji. At home, a perplexed Shinji dismisses his "wife" and "son," revealing them to be actors.

Aiko and her co-worker Kota pretend to be lawyers interviewing Kikuo in an attempt to exonerate Phillip. Shinji also arrives, posing as a police detective. They convince Masami not to press charges against Phillip. Some time later, Kikuo dies in his sleep. Aiko, Shinji, Kota, and Phillip attend his funeral, where Phillip lays the photos from the time capsule on his body.

Phillip visits Mia at the school, which she was accepted into. He reintroduces himself to her with his real name, and the two continue to spend time together as friends. Phillip and Aiko continue working at Rental Family, which discontinues the "apology services" that led to Aiko's abuse.

Phillip returns to the Shinto shrine he once prayed at with Kikuo; having previously declined Kikuo's invitation to see what he was praying to, he looks inside, sees his reflection in a mirror, and smiles.

Cast

  • Brendan Fraser as Phillip Vanderploeg, an American actor in Japan
  • Takehiro Hira as Shinji, the owner of Rental Family
  • Mari Yamamoto as Aiko, a Rental Family employee
  • Shannon Mahina Gorman as Mia Kawasaki, a young half-Japanese girl in need of a father figure
  • Akira Emoto as Kikuo Hasegawa, a retired actor
  • Shino Shinozaki as Hitomi, Mia's mother and a Rental Family client
  • Kimura Bun as Kota, a Rental Family employee
  • Sei Matobu as Masami Hasegawa, Kikuo's daughter and a Rental Family client
  • Misato Morita as Yoshie Ikeda, a closeted Rental Family client
  • Tamae Ando as Lola

Production

The film started development in 2019.[4] In November 2023, Brendan Fraser was set to star in the film with Hikari directing from a script she co-wrote with Stephen Blahut.[5] In March 2024, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, and Akira Emoto joined the cast.[6][7] Principal photography began in Japan on March 12 and wrapped in late May.[6][7]

Release

An international co-production between the United States and Japan, Rental Family had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025.[8] It was theatrically released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on November 21.[9][10] The film was screened at the Adelaide Film Festival in Australia on October 18, 2025.[11] On October 19, 2025, the film was shown within the 20th Rome Film Festival in the 'Grand Public' section,[12] while on November 3, 2025, it was showcased at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival in the 'Gala Selection' section.[13] It was screened in the Icon section of the 2025 Stockholm International Film Festival on 5 November 2025.[14] The film was officially released in Japan on February 27, 2026.[15]

The film was released on digital streaming on January 13, 2026, and on Blu-ray and DVD on February 17.[16]

Reception

Box office

The film was expected to launch in the low digits, projected to make $2.6 million in its opening weekend.[17][18] It made $3.3 million.[3]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 204 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. 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."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[21]

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."[22] 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."[23]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards January 10, 2026 Best Intergenerational Film Rental Family Nominated [24]
Artios Awards February 26, 2026 Feature Studio or Independent – Comedy Kei Kawamura Won [25]
Astra Film Awards January 9, 2026 Best Actor – Comedy or Musical Brendan Fraser Nominated [26]
Best Original Screenplay Hikari and Stephen Blahut Nominated
Best Young Performer Shannon Mahina Gorman Nominated
Celebration of Asian Pacific Cinema and Television November 14, 2025 Director Award Hikari Won [27]
Chicago International Film Festival October 21, 2025 Spotlight Award Won [28]
Cinema for Peace Awards 16 February 2026 Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Film of the Year Rental Family Nominated [29][30]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 4, 2026 Best Young Actor/Actress Shannon Mahina Gorman Nominated [31]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 19, 2025 Score – Independent Film Jónsi and Alex Somers Nominated [32]
Middleburg Film Festival October 20, 2025 Narrative Feature Audience Award Rental Family Won[a] [33]
National Board of Review December 3, 2025 Top 10 Films Won[b] [34]
Savannah Film Festival October 29, 2025 Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award Brendan Fraser Won [35]
November 3, 2025 Audience Award Rental Family Runner-up [36]
Seattle Film Critics Society December 15, 2025 Best Youth Performance Shannon Mahina Gorman Nominated [37]
Society of Composers & Lyricists February 6, 2026 Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film Jónsi and Alex Somers Nominated [38]
Virginia Film Festival October 26, 2025 Breakthrough Director Award Hikari Won [39]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards December 7, 2025 Best Youth Performance Shannon Mahina Gorman Nominated [40]

See also

Notes

  1. Award shared with Hamnet.
  2. Award shared with nine other films.

References

  1. "Rental Family (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. September 5, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  2. "Rental Family (2025)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  3. "Rental Family (2025) - Box Office and Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  4. Kit, Borys (November 16, 2023). "Searchlight Teams with 'Beef' Director Hikari for Comedy-Drama 'Rental Family' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. Kroll, Justin (November 21, 2023). "Brendan Fraser Finds His First Major Role After Oscar Win With Searchlight's Rental Family". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  6. Lang, Brent (March 5, 2024). "Mari Yamamoto Starring Opposite Brendan Fraser in Searchlight's 'Rental Family' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  7. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 18, 2024). "'Shōgun's Takehiro Hira And Akira Emoto Join Brendan Fraser's 'Rental Family' At Searchlight".
  8. "Rental Family". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  9. Garner, Glenn (July 11, 2025). "Disney Sets 'Rental Family' & 'Psycho Killer' Release Dates". Deadline. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  10. D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 16, 2025). "TIFF Unveils Round Of World Premieres With 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' & Pics From Derek Cianfrance, Paul Greengrass, Nicholas Hytner, Hikari & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  11. "Rental Family". Adelaide Film Festival. September 30, 2025. Archived from the original on September 30, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  12. "The films of the 2025 Rome Film Fest – Fondazione Cinema per Roma". September 19, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  13. Rosser, Michael (September 18, 2025). "'Hamnet' to close Tokyo film festival as gala, animation line-ups revealed". Screen Daily. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  14. "Rental Family". Stockholm International Film Festival. October 9, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  15. Schilling, Mark (February 19, 2026). "'Rental Family': Performance becomes perilously real in Hikari's 'love letter' to Japan". The Japan Times. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  16. McArdle, Tommy (January 8, 2026). "Here's When Brendan Fraser's Rental Family Will Be Available to Watch at Home (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  17. Moreau, Jordan (November 21, 2025). "Box Office: 'Wicked: For Good' Earns Huge $30.8 Million in Previews, Highest of the Year". Variety. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  18. Gallagher, Brian (November 21, 2025). "Box Office Predictions: Wicked: For Good Will Bring Theaters Back to Life With a 2025-Best Debut". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  19. "Rental Family". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  20. "Rental Family". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  21. "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  22. Hammond, Pete (September 7, 2025). "'Rental Family' Review: Brendan Fraser In A Gentle Family Comedy About Finding Human Connection In Japan – Toronto Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  23. Fügmann, Lina (October 15, 2025). "Rental Family". Programmkino (in German). Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  24. Hammond, Pete (November 19, 2025). "'One Battle After Another', 'Hamnet', 'A House of Dynamite' Among AARP's Movies for Grownups Best Picture Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  25. Verhoeven, Beatrice (January 8, 2026). "Casting Society Reveals 2026 Artios Awards Film Nominees, Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  26. Neglia, Matt (November 25, 2025). "The 2025 Hollywood Creative Alliance's (HCA) Astra Film Award Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  27. Hammond, Pete (October 1, 2025). "Lucy Liu, Chloé Zhao, 'KPop Demon Hunters' Among Honorees for Critics Choice 4th Celebration of AAPI Cinema & Television". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  28. "Tributes". Cinema Chicago. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  29. Bizilj, Jaka (January 4, 2026). "Cinema for Peace Unveils Nominees for 2026 & supports the people of Venezuela". Cinema for Peace Foundation. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  30. Goodfellow, Melanie (January 8, 2026). "Cinema For Peace Gives Shoutout To Venezuelan Opposition Leaders As It Unveils 2026 Nominees Including Pope Leo, Jafar Panahi & Scarlett Johansson". Deadline. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  31. Davis, Clayton (December 5, 2025). "Critics Choice Awards Nominations: 'Sinners' Dominates With 17 Noms, Cynthia Erivo Snubbed for 'Wicked: For Good'". Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  32. Pedersen, Erik (November 5, 2025). "'Wicked: For Good', 'Sinners' & 'F1' Lead Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  33. Davis, Clayton (October 20, 2025). "'Hamnet' and 'Rental Family' Tie for Middleburg Film Festival Audience Award". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  34. Lewis, Hilary (December 3, 2025). "National Board of Review Names 'One Battle After Another' as Best Film of 2025". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  35. "Honored guests | Filmfest". filmfest.scad.edu. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  36. "'Frankenstein', 'No Other Choice' Top Audience Awards at 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival". AwardsWatch. November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  37. Neglia, Matt (December 5, 2025). "The 2025 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  38. Pedersen, Erik (December 17, 2025). "Society Of Composers & Lyricists Tunes Up 2026 SCL Awards Nominations: 'Sinners', 'Wicked: For Good', 'Frankenstein' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  39. "Virginia Film Festival". Virginia Film Festival. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  40. Anderson, Erik (December 6, 2025). "Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Nominations: 'One Battle After Another,' 'Sinners' Score 13 Each". AwardsWatch. Retrieved December 7, 2025.