Disney / Buena Vista
I know this is going to be painful for some of you, but before you watch Rental Family, and you should, lock your phone in the trunk of your car and leave it there.
If you speak fluent Japanese you can ignore this advice, but if you don’t… you’ll miss something. I was paying attention and I still had to click the 10 seconds back button a couple of times because I missed the subtitles and needed them again.
The film switches between Japanese and English in almost every scene and you need to pay attention to fully appreciate this well written and emotionally uplifting film.
The premise is simple.
Brendan Fraser plays an American actor in Japan and gets a job as a rentable emotional companion, who takes on the role of a stand-in during family or life events to provide either emotional support, friendship, or even closure.
His first role is as a “sad American” attendee to a funeral. Phillip (Fraser) is visibly uncomfortable and awkward through this first role because his new boss, Shinji (Takehiro Tada) doesn’t really tell him what the job entails. The plot evolves from there.
Early in the film we see Fraser sitting in his apartment, looking over the open windows of his neighbors as they experience their evenings. There is a young couple, an old man, and a variety of others as Phillip stands by his window watching.
Director Hikari gives us a feeling of loneliness and need for connection as this brief scene unfolds. It’s clear Fraser’s character is looking for meaning in his life. We revisit this scene later during a key plot moment and the call back to drive a critical decision is outstanding filmmaking.
In my opinion, foreshadowing is a lost art. It’s either so ham handed you are beaten over the head with it or so subtle it’s more of an Easter Egg to trick the audience than a plot device. This particular sequence is disciplined and designed to bring the audience subtle understanding.
I think subtlety is an important thing to call out for this film, because it captures some of the complexity of Japanese culture and makes it accessible for the non-Japanese viewer. There is a science and art to bowing in Japan. There is an enormous emotional depth in a culture known for its stoic reserve. Hikari paints this for the western viewer in a way that can be understood and appreciated.
Emotional outbursts rarely happen in Japan and when they do, it’s important to understand that even a small one is indicative of a volcano of emotional pain or anger beneath the surface that could not be held in check one moment longer.
Fraser is convinced to sign on to the company long term when he plays the fiancée of a lesbian. They stage a fake wedding to make her parents think she is marrying a Canadian. At first Phillip struggles with the deception, but when he realizes he is providing his new “wife” with the freedom to be with her partner without fear, shame or judgment he decides he can stick with being a rental.
The primary plot centers around two roles Fraser’s character plays simultaneously. He is hired to play the foreign father of a young girl who is trying to get into a prestigious private school. He also plays a journalist, pretending to write a final story about a famous actor, as his life fades.
The young girl, Mia, is played by Shannon Mahima Gorman. It’s her first role. HOLY CRAP! She’s great. She’s 12, so she’s a bit older than the role she is playing, but she is absolutely wonderful. She plays a vulnerable young girl, meeting her “father” for the first time as he reappears in her life to help facilitate the private school application process. Mia and Phillip connect and their relationship blossoms into something very sweet, despite it being based on a lie. (Mia doesn’t know about the lie. It’s totally driven by her mom) The relationship has a profound effect on Phillip and when it culminates you can feel the deep emotions.
The famous actor, Kikuo Hasegawa, is played by Akira Emoto. Akira Emoto looked very familiar to me, but I can’t seem to place him. He has 320 acting credits and it looks like all of them are credits for Japanese productions. 320 acting credits… I mean… WOW! I guess he was perfect for the role, because he was probably mostly playing himself. He plays an aging actor with clear health problems whose daughter hires Fraser’s company to make him feel good in his waning days. He has some incredible lines. “At a certain point, all a man has left, are his secrets.” Every line is delivered with meaning and purpose. He is a rich character played admirably. The evolution of this relationship with Fraser’s character is just as powerful as the young girl in very different ways but equally emotional and beautiful.
The company Fraser works for has a staff of 3. Takehiro Hira, plays the business owner. He is excellent. If you haven’t seen the Shogun remake on Hulu, I highly recommend it and he is one of the reasons why. He is excellent in this as well and he goes on a fascinating transformation arc as Phillip begins to affect the people around him as they affect him.
Mari Yamamoto plays Aiko Nakajima, who becomes a friend and confidant of Phillip as the film progresses. She has a side plot of her own and it is rich and interesting, even though it is a small part of the overall film. I haven’t seen her in anything else, but she is in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and while I am not terribly interested in that show, I’ll probably check it out now, because of here. She’s a strong performer. She also was one of the producers on Tokyo Vice and that is excellent.
Brendan Fraser suffered severely in his career after being sexually assaulted by the head of the Hollywood Foreign Press. His regression from the spotlight for as long as he was gone led me to forget how good he really is. His Academy Award for The Whale and resurgence has been wonderful to see.
He doesn’t disappoint at all in Rental Family. He is thoughtful, emotional, and introspective. Fraser is incredibly believable in the role. First thing I could not believe when I dug in a little is he does not speak Japanese. His delivery and accent are both excellent. I don’t speak Japanese, but I did a little research and experts said he sounded authentic. The reason I dug into it is because he sounded so great I checked to see if he spoke the language. Apparently, he is an excellent mimic and leveraged that talent for this role. It is really a value add. I’m excited he is working so much again. He always delivers.
If there is one criticism I have about the film is that the lighting is a little bleak at times. It may have had more to do with the time of year they shot than any artistic choice, but the exteriors seemed to be less vibrant than they should have been. However, that is just nitpicking.
Rental Family is a great watch. It runs the viewer through a variety of emotions, teaches us a little about Japan, and reminds us that every single person is on a journey and we need to respect that as we make our own journey through life.
Enjoy it! I did. Just remember to put aside distractions so you can appreciate the subtly executed story and performances.
Extras include featurette, and deleted/extended scenes.
