Rental Family (2025) – Review and Summary
If acting is about playing in a fantasy world, Rental Family reminds you how much people’s fantasies are based on the escape of their reality.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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- Director(s): Hikari
- Writer(s): Hikari, Stephen Blahut
- Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
- Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 43 Minutes
- Public Release Date (In Theaters): November 21, 2025
- Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
- Content Rating: Rated PG-13
- Primary Language: English | Non-English (Japanese)
- More Information (External Link)
What Is Rental Family About?
Phillip has lived and worked as an actor in Japan for over 7 years, but is very aware that he is still a gaijin (foreigner). But, at this point, Japan is home, and he doesn’t have much reason or desire to return to the United States. This especially becomes true when his agent sends him on an assignment and he meets Shinji Tada, who runs a Rental Family agency.
He, alongside his two staff members, Aiko and Kota, plays roles in people’s lives from friends to partners, and Shinji presents this as a golden opportunity for an actor like Phillip, since he would be playing a character on life’s stage, rather than one in a theater. Through multiple characters, we see Phillip initially struggle with the only audience member being the client, and everyone else co-stars, whether they know they are part of his performance or not.
Cast and Characters
Phillip (Brendan Fraser)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: An American from Minnesota, Phillip has lived in Japan for a little more than seven years, after booking a major toothpaste commercial and having enough work to justify him staying in the country. But, while he has learned Japanese and has become accustomed to the area, it could be said he lives a mostly isolated existence – unless money is involved.
Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Shinji is the owner of Rental Family Inc., and he recruited Phillip after he was hired for a funeral gig he had.
Aiko Nakajima (Mari Yamamoto)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Aiko is Shinji’s right hand, who finds herself mainly handling apology rentals, which have become some of the most challenging work she has ever had to do. But, she finds meaning in her work, so she continues to do it diligently – to the point of not trusting Phillip when he almost chickens out of his first assignment.
Kota Nakano (Kimura Bun)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Kota is Shinji’s third office worker, who goes out on assignment too, but isn’t focused on as much as Aiko and Shinji.
Mia Kawasaki (Shannon Gorman)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Mia is a young girl, raised by a single mother, who is notably intelligent, but due to her family not having a traditional structure, this could hold her back. Hence, Phillip comes into her life, and while he may not be her biological father, she takes to him quickly.
Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: At 80 years old, and after having starred in over 100 productions, Kikuo is unquestionably a legendary actor. However, with some form of memory loss disease plaguing him, his time on stage is over, and now he just wants to hold on, if not relive, some of his fondest memories before the inevitable prevents him from doing so.
What To Expect In “Rental Family” (Rated PG-13) – Content Overview
- Dialog:
- Cursing: Occasional
- Miscellaneous:
- Drinking: Yes
Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
Phillip Being an American In Japan vs. Japan Hosting An American [85/100]
Being that Japan is a known homogeneous society, I immensely appreciated how much it was made clear that Phillip was an outsider; he had to adapt to their culture, and there wouldn’t be any fawning over him just because he was White, tall, or American. It’s made clear, even with approaching a decade, that he is still a foreigner, and without growing up in Japanese customs, he may know how to navigate certain situations, but he’ll never get it.
It makes when he goes into any of the situations Shinji puts him into feel like a learning lesson and the way that Fraser plays Phillip, there is this sense of humility, being honored by being invited into people’s homes and families, and while he has his moments of showing he is still an American and has only integrated, not assimilated, there is this beautiful cultural exchange. The type that makes you want to take note of words like gaijin, look up the state of being a homosexual in Japan in 2025, as well as go beyond what you may see in anime regarding school culture, and really learn how intense it is.
Going From Peering At People’s Lives To Integrating Into Them [82/100]
If there is something Brendan Fraser seems to have down pat, it is creating characters with a sense of longing. For a good part of his career, it was the longing for adventure, but in his recent movies, it seems connection is what his characters are looking for. It helps you understand why Phillip is an actor who, when not working, doesn’t turn on a television but looks out his window, watching families, single people, and seniors live their lives.
There is but a street separating them; he could easily wave, get their attention, surely come off weird, but potentially engage. Yet, he doesn’t. But, it makes him working for Rental Family Inc. all the more a big step since, I’d submit, genuine connection is in short supply in Phillip’s life. If money isn’t being exchanged, it seemed he didn’t have meaningful interactions, and so to see him seek out Aiko, and get to know her, go the extra mile with Mia or Kikuo, it stirs something in you.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say it is a call to action, but it definitely is a nudge that, for a lot of people, they don’t need someone rich, well-connected, the most fit, smartest, or anything like that. They just need someone curious, consistent, and willing to show up for someone even when they can’t make it easy to like or love them.
Mia and Kikuo’s Storyline [90/100]
Mia and Kikuo’s storylines as individuals, and their interactions with Phillip, drove me to tears. I’m talking lip trembling, ugly face, but not to the point of snot, tears. Mia, as a young girl who doesn’t know who her father is, being led to believe Phillip is, under a character her mom made, has such a simple but effective story.
It’s the type that easily could have become a cheap tearjerker, but Rental Family avoids that. The focus is simply on a girl who seeks to have a father, or at least a father figure in her life. Never mind someone who, unlike her mom, isn’t focused solely on her potential, but on who she is. Which doesn’t create an American vs. Japan clash in parenting, but does give you a sense of how nurturing a child isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Just as much as it needs to be drilled, they need to focus on their education and future; there has to be room for frivolous things, doubt, and exploring what it means to be human.
Then with Kikuo, while he initially appears to be just an agitated actor unable to perform like he used to, again, you get this sense of someone who needs connection. Yes, Kikuo has an attendant and a daughter, but he is also 80 and wants to, especially accepting his memory is fading fast, have something for himself. He wants his secrets; he wants to tap into old memories and trigger those feelings one last time.
But most of all, like Mia, he wants to be treated as an individual, and like with Mia, Phillip, being an outsider who delivers what Kikuo needs, leads to tear-jerking moments.
On The Fence
It Leaves A Lot Of Questions Unanswered Regarding Japanese Characters [76/100]
One of the main issues we had with the majority of Rental Family is that, when it comes to nearly every character, they withhold information that you’ll want the answer to. Whether it is what happened to Mia’s dad, Shinji’s home life, Aiko’s willingness to play someone’s mistress for who knows how long for clients, whether big or small things, you’re left with questions.
And mind you, Phillip gives you a plethora of answers regarding questions you can have about him, so there is the push that this could be a cultural thing. He may open up about his parents, why he moved to Japan, and things like that, but with the movie taking place roughly over a month, maybe that was too soon to expect people to get notably personal?
But with us seeing beyond Phillip’s perspective, it could be frustrating that, as a viewer, you still don’t get answers to some lingering questions.
Overall
Our Rating (83/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)
Rental Family is subtle but impactful and allows Phillip to act as a proper medium as we’re introduced to multiple lives, which range from an iconic actor to a child who may not even be in middle school yet. Leaving you wanting to learn more not only about Japanese culture in modern times, but also the characters who, sadly, may show some skin but don’t reveal their full hand.
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