Brendan Fraser's latest film, Rental Family, has been met with critical disappointment following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The comedy drama, directed by Hikari, follows an American actor in Japan who joins a service that supplies actors to impersonate family members, friends, or other roles in clients' lives. Despite its intriguing premise and a strong cast, the film has been described as emotionally inert and overly sentimental.
The film stars Fraser as Phillip, a struggling actor in Tokyo whose only claim to fame is a tacky toothpaste commercial. He stumbles into the rental family business after a gig turns out to be a mock funeral. The service's owner, played by Takehiro Hira, hires him as a 'token white guy', insisting that the fake affections they provide are uplifting. However, critics argue that the film fails to explore the deeper implications of its premise, instead opting for easy laughs and mawkish moments.
Mari Yamamoto co-stars as a more seasoned rental actor, but her character is underwritten, leaving audiences wishing the film focused on her. The plot includes Phillip being hired to impersonate an absent father to a biracial child, a scenario critics have called 'icky' and 'preposterous'. The film glosses over the heavy complications of this setup, preferring calculated cute moments and trite monologues set against picturesque shots of Tokyo.
Rental Family has been criticised for lacking connective tissue and for being too timid to scratch beneath the surface. While Fraser's performance brings a well of emotions, the film overall is seen as a misfire that fails to deliver the depth its premise promises.
