Heartland International Film Festival Review Of ‘Rental Family’

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Review by James Lindorf

Three years ago, Brendan Fraser’s “The Whale” closed out the Heartland International Film Festival before going on to earn the beloved actor an Oscar. Now his latest film, “Rental Family,” is opening the 34th annual version of the festival and has him in contention for another statue. This year’s Heartland International Film Festival takes place in Indianapolis, October 9th-19th, showcasing other actors including Jodie Foster, Sydney Sweeney, Rami Malek, Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Peyton Manning through 19 world/US premieres, 27 regional premieres, 17 special presentations from major distributors, and nine Indiana Spotlight films. All film selections will have in-person screenings, and many will also be available virtually in the US. Tickets and Fest Passes are available at HeartlandFilmFestival.org.

Phillip (Brendan Fraser) is an American actor living in Japan whose biggest claim to fame is a cheesy toothpaste commercial where he plays a superhero battling the scourge of plague and gingivitis. He thought it would be a springboard to an amazing career. However, seven years later, he is still struggling and remains in the country only to avoid returning home and abandoning his dream. His life takes a sudden turn when he lands an unusual gig working for Shinji (Takehiro Hira) and his rental family agency. Phillip, Shinji, and coworkers, Aiko (Mari Yamamoto), and Kota (Kimura Bun), play various roles in the lives of strangers in need. As Phillip immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

The requests for help coming into the agency vary widely. One job has Phillip playing the token white guy at a funeral, another has him befriending a reclusive gamer with no one to play against, and he’s even a fake groom for a young woman trying to free herself from her old-fashioned parents. His most involved jobs involve pretending to be a journalist writing an epic profile of the actor Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) and helping a single mother (Shino Shinozaki) with her daughter Mia (Shannon Gorman). On the surface, the job is simple: Phillip has to pretend to be Mia’s father to help her secure admission into a coveted private school, but things get complicated when her mother insists her daughter not be let in on the ruse.

It is questionable enough watching Aiko work for pathetic husbands as they try to continue deceiving their wives. They pay the agency large sums of money to get her to pretend to be their affair partners and make the ritualised apology that will get them off the hook and free to continue their dalliances. But things get even sketchier with Mia because the goal is to make the young girl believe that Phillip is the father she has never met before. The hope is that this will give a face to her largest source of pain and frustration, but as they develop a bond, it is setting Mia up to be abandoned again.

Does “Rental Family” largely shy away from the manipulation that their work often requires and the resulting pain it can cause? Yes. Instead, it chooses to celebrate the joy of finding your place and the treasure that is found family. Phillip and team offer people the emotional or even physical support we all need as confirmation that we are not as alone as we feel. Being part of a rental family can have either a life-affirming or devastating impact on clients and their loved ones. HIKARI and co-writer Stephen Blahut don’t ignore the dangers for the clients and actors; we see people on each side suffering, but they choose not to dwell on it. They highlight the often overlooked members of society and how little it takes to help them, while also providing a few laughs and displaying the vibrance and beauty of Japanese culture and architecture, with the help of cinematographer Takuro Ishizaka.

“Rental Family” has so much going on, it may have worked better as a 6-10 hour miniseries. They only scratch the surface of Aiko, Shinji, and Kota. What brought them to the agency? How do they feel about the work? What are their hopes for the future? There are also clients introduced in a montage that capture our attention, but never get a conclusion. As constructed, “Rental Family” gets a 4.5 out of 5 on the strength of its heart and the performances of Fraser and Gorman, who was fantastic in her feature film debut.

Rating: PG-13 (Some Strong Language|Thematic Elements|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2025, Wide
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: HIKARI
Screenwriter: HIKARI, Stephen Blahut
Producer: Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, HIKARI, Shin Yamaguchi
Production Co: Knockonwood, Sight Unseen
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures