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Best known for playing swashbuckling adventurer Rick O'Connell in The Mummy franchise, Brendan Fraser has had more than his share of ups and downs in Hollywood. However, ever since starring in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed The Whale, the 56-year-old actor has been enjoying something of a renaissance. Fresh off of his Best Actor win for playing a self-destructive, housebound English teacher named Charlie, Fraser has starred in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, played Robotman in Doom Patrol, and acted alongside Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage in Brothers. But with his latest, Rental Family, Fraser may have landed on another Oscar-winning performance, as he plays an American actor hired to fulfill the role of an estranged father to a young Japanese girl. Phillip Vanderploeg (Fraser) is a lonely, struggling actor who has spent the past seven years living in Tokyo. But with only a toothpaste commercial and the occasional small role to show for it, his acting career is a far cry from taking off. Enter Shinji (Takehiro Hira), the owner of Rental Family Inc., who thinks that Phillip would be perfect addition to his company's small roster of actors hired by clients to play a variety of real-life parts, from grieving funeral-goer to best friend. It's the kind of job that Phillip has absolutely no experience with, having only acted traditionally in front of a camera. However, with this cinéma vérité type of role, he'll have his work cut out for him. Earning his stripes on some bit parts, Phillip begins to get a feel for what being a part of the Rental Family truly entails. It's when he's hired to play the father of a girl named Mia (Shannon Gorman) and a journalist interviewing famed Japanese actor named Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), though, that he begins to genuinely understand the value of the service he provides. Has Phillip finally found the role of a lifetime — the one that he was meant to play? And how will Mia take it when she finally realizes that he's not her father after all? Directed by Hikari, the result is an excellent contender for the year's most endearing film, thanks to sterling performances from the entire cast, especially Fraser. But while Rental Family is undoubtedly the kind of drama that's guaranteed to tug at viewers' heartstrings, it's the movie's universal theme about finding sincere human connections that remains its strongest aspect. Still, no one should be surprised if Fraser wins another Oscar for his portrayal. But even if he doesn't, this one's worth more than just a rental. |
Rental Family screens under the Special Presentations programme at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 1 hr. 50 min.
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