Director: Hikari
Actors: Brendan Fraser, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, Shannon Gorman
Genre: Drama
Rating: M
‘Rental Family’ starts off feeling like an off-beat comedy
that’s going to explore the odd (to Western sensibilities) profession of having
actors be emotional stand-ins at funerals, weddings, break-ups, etc. But it
quickly turns into an examination of the emotional impact on these actors,
primarily Phillip (Fraser), Shinji (Hira) and Aiko (Yamamoto). This is made
easier by having Phillip being an expat American living in Tokyo, but who speaks
Japanese well, so it’s only ~30% subtitles.
Things get complicated when Phillip agrees to play Mia (Gorman)’s
Dad for Hitomi (Shinozaki), with a clear reckoning coming. All the actors are
good, and the scenes with Mia and Phillip the most touching, but also Phillip
and his time with aging actor Kikuo (Emoto) is handled well and may bring a few
tears.
There’s definitely ‘Lost In Translation’ vibes, but Fraser
plays it so humbly and calmly, that everything seems possible, but he also
brings a quiet conviction with his sadness and humanity. I’m loving seeing him
back in films, and while this has sad moments, it’s a bit more uplifting than ‘The
Whale’!
Overall: Not a perfect film, maybe a little long, but
well-made and worthwhile
Gav’s Rating: 3.5 stars
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