Review: Rental Family

Official synopsis: Phillip,(Brenden Fraser) an American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. He rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the beauty of human connection.

"Charming" is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Rental Family, and charm goes a long way. The film can introduce an idea that you know is terrible and is going to end badly, but you don't cringe your way through it because the film is just so damn lovely and sincere. That's how I felt watching this. A lesser film would've had me rolling my eyes at some of the decisions made by characters at various points, but I completely understood Phillip's state of mind. I don't think I'd be able to resist a few of these things either. 

We meet a lot of lonely people in this film. Writer/Director Hikari reminds us that connections are what make humans thrive. I think she did a great job crafting this narrative. It's carefully shot, very sentimental and will make you want to travel to Tokyo immediately. There's a lot of beauty in this film.

This is easily my new favorite Brenden Fraser performance. Much of his emotions are subtle but I couldn't help but love him in this. He was so sweet and caring, and pretty damn funny at times too. All the humorous bits in this film land. 

It reminds me a bit of Amelie, in the sense that I could compare it to a warm hug. It's a very heartwarming feature, even though you know how it's going to end. It makes for a worthy theater watch.

Grade: A-