Every year we as critics find those special movies that are emotional and inspiring. They’re the kind of movies that shake up our picks during award season. For me, I always have that one movie that I absolutely love and highly recommend. There’s been some great movies in 2025, but I think the one that’s more special for me as Rental Family with Brendan Fraser. It’s a beautifully engaging movie that inspires love and connection with people. With this one you will laugh, you will cry, but you’ll also find the beauty in humanity and we always need those kinds of movies. It goes without saying that I very much enjoyed this movie and I think everyone should see it. Here’s why!
Brendan Fraser stars as an American actor going from gig to gig in Japan. Whether it’s commercials or a TV series, he’s a working actor living in a small apartment until he books a gig with a unique company that hires performers to be fake versions of loved ones, mistresses, or even some kind of professional that can with their career. It’s a unique concept and has become very popular in Japan for a variety of reasons. Despite the controversy, it’s a service that offers human connection with people who may not have that for a variety of reasons. The film is also a great love letter to Japan and this unique industry. Japan is very much a character unto its own within the film. Let me just say that I believe Brendan Fraser gives another oscar-worthy performance, whether he’ll win the Oscar again like he did for The Whale, this performance is right up there. He is sensational. As an older actor who may not be the action star he once was and films like The Mummy, there is an endearing sensibility to his acting that makes you easily connect to his characters. He’s like the fragile everyman just struggling to get by and find human connection whether it be love or friendship. And don’t get me wrong, he can still be very funny and he still plays lovable characters like he did back in the ’90s, but the characters he plays now are more authentic and believable. This movie is very much made wonderful performances not only of Brendan, but of Japanese actors Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto. They’re both incredible in this movie. There’s so many great moments that bring laughter and tears. I don’t want to spoil too much of the movie, but the Rental Family roles that Brendan’s character takes on are extremely genuine and heartfelt whether it be the fake father to help a your girl get into school, the fake American husband to help a lesbian woman safely move away with her partner and not disrupt the traditional values of her parents or even the fake journalist who is writing a story about a legendary Japanese actor who just wants his legacy to be remembered.
I don’t have many complaints about Rental Family. I think everybody will enjoy it. As I said before, Japan is very much a character within the story and you get to see the bustling atmosphere of Tokyo and then the gorgeous countryside which seems untouched by the 21st century. But if I can offer one criticism…there’s so many stories to tell and it’s hard to do so in a 2-hour movie. I wonder if this story would have been better as a series and I definitely would like to see more from all the characters. There’s not a love story crammed in for no reason, which is another reason its a great movie, but you see the potential with these characters that can be explored in a series. In some ways I feel like this movie is a 2-hour pilot, but as a standalone story , it’s beautiful, emotional, and inspiring all at the same time. Each character is magnetic on the screen and there are times that Brendan Fraser is overshadowed with such strong performances from the rest of the cast. But they’re such great chemistry among the cast that it works on so many levels with this film. Overall, this is a film that you’re not going to want to miss. I think it’s one that you should check out in the theater. It would be a great date movie. Since it’s coming out right in the middle of award season, Brendan Fraser absolutely deserves another Oscar for his performance or at the very least a nomination. This is his best performance since The Whale. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with Rental Family. It’s one of the best movies of the year that will make you laugh, cry, and love even through just simple human connection. It also reminds us that we are not alone and we don’t have to be. Go see Rental Family… you won’t be disappointed.
