It’s always a nice feeling to get what you paid for. In the case of the lonely souls of “Rental Family,” this comes in the form of the companionship, catharsis or deception gleaned by hiring an actor to fill a real-life role in their life — until a good-natured American actor played by Brendan Fraser finds some deeper meaning by connecting with various lost-soul residents of Tokyo.
And just like the system itself, a viewer who goes into the film expecting a kitschy awards-season crowd pleaser will get what they paid for — plus perhaps slightly more.
For Fraser, the bustling streets of modern Tokyo make for a cushy landing spot for his highest-profile role since his 2022 Academy Award win for Actor in a Leading Role. His character Phillip, a seven-year American expat, is hardly the most interesting part of this story — there’s a joke about him being a “token white guy” for the Rental Family company that isn’t too far off the mark for his characterization as a whole — but there’s thankfully less focus on Phillip himself and more on how he interacts with the muted yet vivacious characters around him.
This is most strikingly characterized in his “role” as a father to Mia, a headstrong young girl played by Shannon Gorman whose mother wants the appearance of a complete home to help get her into a prestigious school.
Phillip’s relationship with the young girl rises and falls in predictable fashion, which is largely true for the rest of the story, too.
You get the best sense of this in a mid-movie montage where Phillip goes about forming and tightening bonds with a number of unlikely customers — from a reclusive gamer to an aging legendary actor. It’s exactly what you’d expect from this completely expectable story, but those hesitant thoughts are more often than not banished to the back of your mind by the smile you’ll have on the front.
If there’s anywhere director and co-writer Hikari manages to break beyond expectations, it’s in the way her thoughtful depiction of the interwoven urban landscape complements the weaving nature of each character’s path.
Moments where Takuro Ishizaka’s cinematography glows with urban tranquility, aided by Jónsi Birgisson and Alex Somers’ appropriately sentimental score, make for appreciated bright spots that momentarily blind you from its overtly heart-tugging intentions.
You also get some extra flavor from its supporting cast, as Phillip’s coworkers, played by Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto, each grapple with the consequences of the rental actor system in their own way. Their smaller plights are never effectively folded into the larger narrative, though, and in the end it’s all the film can do to hastily-yet-sincerely tie things up with the grace that its smooth tone and above-average production demand it displays.
“Rental Family” lives up to its promises, allowing you the chance to lease out your emotions for the evening and have them safely returned to you with just the slightest touch of extra warmth. It won’t light any hearts ablaze that haven’t already been charred before, but it’s a distinctly appealing return for Fraser and a likeable showcase for an up-and-coming director to close out the final days of the Twin Cities Film Fest — one that buyers definitely needn’t beware.
Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.
