‘Rental Family’ Blu-ray Review

Stars: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto | Written by Hikari, Stephen Blahut | Directed by Hikari

Following her work on acclaimed TV shows such as Tokyo Vice and Beef, Hikari makes her English-language feature debut with Rental Family, a gentle tale about finding where you belong despite the unfamiliar surroundings. The Japan-set tale follows Phillip Vandarploeug (Brendan Fraser), an American actor who lives a lonely existence while barely making a living doing badly paid adverts. That soon changes when he starts working for a rental family service, playing stand-in roles for strangers who require him to pretend to be a husband, father, friend, or even a token White guy. While he is initially uncomfortable with the deceitful aspects of these roles, the subsequent experiences make Phillip realise how these roles help others’ needs, and make surprising connections which unveil unexpected joys in life.

Anchoring this tale is Brendan Fraser, a man whose presence seemingly unites the internet in adoration, which makes him the perfect focal point for this charming feature. He magnificently conveys the aspiring actor who desires human connection, as he discovers the real impact his new role makes. After winning an Oscar for The Whale, Fraser plays a fish out of water who is initially bamboozled by the concept, as seen in his humorous first experience with the company’s services. Any initial hesitations about ethics vanish when he sees the impact his roles can deliver, and it is easy to become invested when Fraser effortlessly conveys such a lovable nature.

While many of Phillip’s roles are shown in montage form, a focus is offered for two specific jobs which impact the character. One where he poses as a young girl’s father to help her get accepted into a prestigious school, and one where he plays a journalist covering the career of a retired actor who is battling dementia. Both are often touching subplots which showcase the impact of human relationships, and either one could have sustained the emotional bulk of this film, yet the parental plot feels more fully formed. It is heartwarming to see the growing bond between Phillip and the young girl based on understanding and empathy, a low-key journey which resonates more than the increasing hijinks of the journalist plot.

The result leaves an effective idea that could sustain a 90-minute runtime feeling overlong at a 110-minute length. Instead of the duelling emotional storylines for Phillip, one wishes that the runtime could have focused more on his co-workers. This is especially true of Aiko, the one female employee whose interior life deserves more exploration, particularly when her hired roles regularly involve playing a faux-mistress taking a cheated wife’s scorn. It could have made the found-family angle for the employees feel stronger, yet that does not diminish how heartwarming this tale of human connection can become.

The Blu-ray presentation of Rental Family comes in a 1080p high-definition transfer encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, preserving the film’s 2.00:1 aspect ratio exactly as originally intended. The image is clean and stable throughout, allowing the film’s compositions to breathe in the wider frame while maintaining strong detail and colour reproduction that holds up well in HD.

On the audio side, the disc features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English track, delivering clear dialogue and a well-balanced surround mix. Additional Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in German, Italian and Spanish are also included, alongside an audio descriptive track. Subtitle options are plentiful too, with English SDH, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish all available, making the release accessible to a wide international audience.

This Blu-ray release of Rental Family also features a number of extras, including:

Special Features:

• Featurette: Rental Family Revealed – Go behind the scenes with Brendan Fraser, director HIKARI, and the Japanese cast as they explore friendship, culture, found family, and filming in Japan in this intimate look at the making of Rental Family.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes:
  • Columbus
  • Crying Session
  • Apology
  • Aiko’s First Client
  • Clearbright
  • Tickets
  • Audition
  • Phone Call
  • Final Montage

Touching yet unadventurous, Rental Family is an effective film to fill a Sunday afternoon.

*** 3/5

Rental Family is out now on DVD and Blu-ray, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.