Rental Family doesn’t try to be revolutionary in its storytelling, yet for this reason, the depth of human connections we witness is tremendous. Brendan Fraser delivers another heartfelt and profoundly sincere performance as a man in need of a job who doesn’t quite realize that it’s about to become even bigger than he ever thought possible. It’s a story about healing, love, and the importance of ensuring that people know they’re cared for.
Movies like Rental Family feel especially necessary around the holidays. They don’t ask us for much, only that we take a few seconds to believe in the fact that human beings can look out for each other. On paper, the premise about renting out people for emotional use sounds odd, and I’ll be honest in admitting that I’m not quite sure I would’ve watched it if it weren’t for Fraser. Yet these are often the movies that immediately spark something quietly moving inside of us. They’re the movies you’re so grateful you watched.
No, a little girl doesn’t get to reunite with her birth father, nor does the struggling old actor get to live to the end of the movie, but there’s so much wonder in the film that every interaction feels honest and gratifying. Plus, it’s a nice idea when you dare to hope in the fact that there are good people out there who won’t take advantage of situations like this. It’s a pleasant idea to believe that people can emotionally fill the holes in our hearts brought on by loss and/or the absence of someone.
What’s also fascinating is that Rental Family is a quiet character journey that gives us insight into various heartaches and how they manifest into a person’s loneliness. Director Hikari does something exceptional from the first frame to the last as he underscores the heart of humanity through each of the characters present. It’s a special movie, there’s no doubt about it. In a lot of ways, it’s similar to the ideas in another 2025 release, Train Dreams. Hikari understands the fundamental significance of human connections and how we can look out for one another in the smallest of ways, providing comfort through goodness and adventure.
It asks us to look inward and to question what we’d do when presented with the opportunity to make someone’s life a little easier. Again, on paper, the concept sounds nonsensical because how can a lie ever be sincere? Yet in the hands of a compelling performer like Fraser, of course, it can be. It can be even bigger somehow. It can force you to sit in front of the screen and contemplate a little. But it’s not just Fraser, it’s Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, Akira Emoto, Shannon Gorman, and the whole cast, with each moment they’re on screen being something so innately gripping.
And that’s just it. Rental Family doesn’t feel like a movie, but rather a documentary. It’s so heartwarming, it feels deeply sincere. Or maybe that’s what we’re all hoping the world can be like. Still, it’s a beautiful must-watch and one of the most honest films of the year.
Rental Family is now playing in select theaters.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Searchlight Pictures