RENTAL FAMILY Is a Beautiful Story About Being Seen (Review)

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The movie Rental Family starts with a wild idea, but it actually works beautifully. Brendan Fraser gives a lovely, heartbreaking performance as Phillip Vandarpleog, an American actor who’s been living in Japan for seven years. He’s mostly known for being the face of a toothpaste commercial. He takes a strange, full-time job with a company called ‘Rental Family.’ This unique business lets people hire actors to create scenarios – introduced in a really clever way – allowing them to fulfill fantasies or have someone temporarily play a part in their lives.

The operation clearly presents moral, ethical, and logical concerns. However, Shinji (Takehiro Hira), the owner of Rental Family, and his most committed employee, Aiko (Mari Yamamoto), dismiss these concerns by telling their foreign client he’ll never truly grasp Japanese culture or its people. They argue this lack of understanding prevents him from seeing how the operation is actually beneficial.

This isn’t just a minor detail; it establishes that, like the character Phillip, American viewers are seeing this situation as outsiders. It highlights that our perspectives are shaped by our own experiences. This works well within the story and becomes particularly impactful later on, connecting to the film’s overall message, because Phillip’s understanding of the company is both flawed and accurate.

I’m fascinated by this character, Phillip. He essentially takes on different lives – husband to one person, friend to another, even a journalist. What’s really interesting is that some of his ‘clients’ know they’re hiring an actor, while others are kept in the dark, often by their own families. It gets especially complicated when a single mom hires him to play the long-lost father of her sweet daughter, Miya. He sees how messed up the situation is, but he takes the job anyway. Like with all his ‘Rental Family’ gigs, Phillip starts to genuinely connect with Miya. And he’s surprisingly good at being a dad, which is made even more poignant by his own personal history – it adds such a lovely, subtle layer to the story.

The film thoughtfully examines how even feigning empathy can be valuable. It follows a predictable path when Phillip, a professional who excels at his job, begins to genuinely care for his clients. Seeing their flaws and humanity awakens a desire to help them, which predictably leads to complications. However, despite being foreseeable, every plot point feels natural and justified, preventing the story from feeling cliché or forced.

What’s truly remarkable about this film is that it avoids being overly sentimental. It works because, despite being a heartwarming story about human connection, it acknowledges a deep undercurrent of sadness. The film doesn’t shy away from the loneliness felt by both the employees of the ‘Rental Family’ service and their customers—they both simply want to feel connected. The idea that so many people need to pay for someone to pretend to care is a bit disheartening, but that’s precisely what makes the film ultimately hopeful. It highlights our shared human experience of loneliness, and the power of genuine connection. When someone like Phillip goes above and beyond, offering real care not for money but because he truly wants to, it’s incredibly moving and deeply affecting.

While not flawless, Rental Family is a well-made film. A few scenes could have used a little more development, but this is a minor issue. The cast is excellent, led by Fraser, who is perfectly suited to the role with his expressive eyes and genuine warmth. (In fact, I enjoyed every actor in the movie!) Yamamoto shines as Aiko, and Akira Emoto delivers a particularly strong performance as Kikuo Hasegawa, an aging actor worried about being forgotten. The connection between his character and Fraser’s journalist is a delightful surprise and becomes just as meaningful – perhaps even more so – than the touching relationship between Phillip and Mia.

I was truly captivated by Rental Family – the writing, the director’s vision, the film’s atmosphere, and the performances were all excellent. But what resonated with me most was its exploration of what it means to be human. It’s a beautiful story about our need for connection and being seen. It reminds us that even though we may feel insignificant in the grand scheme of things, we are valuable simply because we exist as part of the world.

At its heart, everyone simply wants to feel understood and acknowledged. This film beautifully captures that universal human need, regardless of who we are or what we’ve been through. That’s why Rental Family is a movie worth watching.

⭐ (4 of 5)

Rental Family comes to theaters November 21, 2025.

Mikey Walsh writes for TopMob. You can find him on Bluesky at @burgermike, and he’s always involved in discussions about ranking the Targaryen kings.

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2025-11-21 22:04