Brendan Fraser a Companion for Hire in Japan

Cre i heard the first movie brandan fraser chose to doter winning the best actor oscar for The whale was a movie calmed Rental Family, I thought that with that than title he was going back to the Kind of Funny but Gimmicky Studio COMEDIES he Sometimes Made Earlier in His Career. Swimming so.

This Sweet and Lyrical Movie, WHICH IS HAVING ITLLD Premiere Tonight at the Toronto Film Festival, Is Based on Real Life in Japan, Where Since the 1980s 300 Companies Specialization in Renting Out on An Have Been Thriving for All sorts of Companionship. This can range from needing someone to go to a wedding you don’t want to attach alone to hiring a boyfriend to introdes to your parents or just having someep in the other room so the house isn’t so lonely after a love one dies. That is what Japanese Writer-Director hikari had in minds well she and started researching the “rental family” phenomenon, participation prevalent in japan, where loneliness is an increasing problem.

Fraser Plays Phillip Vandarbleog, A Struggling Actor Who Moved to Japan Seven Earlier after Getting A Job in A Superhero toothpaste Commercial. The Acting Gigs Since Have Been Few, SO he and stumbles uppon a x -agency that is the trees actors for the special gigs to thread a void in People’s lives, he trees it. HIS FIRST TASTE WAS WAS HIS AGENT GOT HIM A JOB AS A MOURNE AT A FAKE FUNEAL WHERE THE LOVED ONES BY A COFFIN WITH A MAN, STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE, WHO JUST WANTS TO HEARS SAIDS HIM HIM BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.

This Leads to His Meeting With the Rental Agency and his First Job with say. Phillip Becomes a groom at a wedding Where the bride Simply was afraid to tell her parents who was really with romantically. She “Meries” Phillip, Teling the Family They Will Be Moving to America. We soon see her true Love is another Woman.

AS Phillip Settles into the Agency Run by Tada (Shōgun Star Takehiro Hira), there is friction Among the others, Notably aiko (Mari Yamamoto), who doesn’t always see EYE EYE with the New Member of the Team and in fact gets into the argument with Him. Nevertheless, they all have a jab to do. Phillip soon finds Himself in a real situation when he is Hired by a mother (shino shinozaki) to act as the fault of 11-Yaar-op (Shannon Mahina Gorman), whose real dad is long out of the picture. But in order to get her het into the private school mom wants her to atttend, she needs two parents to show a true family in order to pass the test so to convinks her daughter this really is dad. Mia isn’t on Board at first but eventually will Find the fault figure in phillip she never had before.

Another Storyline has the daughter of a well-known actor, Kiko Hasegawa (veteran Star Akira Emoto), Whose Father Is Starting to Lose HIS Memory. Phillip is hied by here to impersonate a non -instalist interview Him so he can have some companionship at this time. It gets a bit more complicated when kiko asks his new friend to accompany Him to his town for reasons he won’t dysclose, something to be daughter won’t do.

This is a gentle film, the Kind of Lower-Key Human Comedy We don’t see these days. Its timing is perfect in a divided world where social media for many has replaced simple one-on-ion human connection, where the simple act of Having to Talk to Person, to Share Time with, Isn’t As IMNE as it is once was. The idea of ​​”renting” a Stranger Might Sound absurd, but in hakari’s lovely little movie it just start a trend. Plus, Actors Could use the work!

Fraser is soulful and understated in a beautiful portrayal of a maning a jab that turns out to be a life-affirming experiment and expert. Hira is the embodiment of an agency owner trying to kep his business together, while yamamoto is engaging, especally when at Odds with her new Colleague. Gorman, in her debut film, is a real firecracker, and emoto, a Legendary Star, Still Can Steal Well Into 70s. The far -existent japanese ensemble is refreshing to see in a very special comedy that the Entire family will Enjoy. ArigataHikar.

Producers are Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, Hikari and Shin Yamaguchi

Title: Rental Family
Festival: Toronto (Special Presentations)
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Director: Hikari
Screenwriters: Hikari and Stephen Blah
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto, Shino Shinozaki
Rating: PG-13
TIME RUNNING: 1 HR 43 MINS