In his first lead role since his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale, Brendan Fraser stars in the 2025 new movie Rental Family, which is inspired by a real service that is available in Japan.
If you’re not aware, there are companies in Japan where you can hire actors to serve as family member stand-ins, detailed in a 2017 story from the CBS Mornings and in a 2012 documentary, Rent a Family Inc. Fraser’s Rental Family is using this real-life concept as the inspiration for their fictional tale.
Find out more about the Rental Family movie directly below.
Rental Family release date
Searchlight Pictures has set a November 21 release date for Rental Family, according to The Wrap.
It is not clear at this time if Rental Family will get a limited release before expanding to additional movie theaters or be available everywhere in the US immediately.
What we do know is the movie will screen as part of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
At this time we’re not able to confirm a release date for Rental Family in the UK.
Rental Family cast
Again, Brendan Fraser leads the cast of Rental Family, playing a down-on-his-luck actor employed by a rent-a-family company. After breaking out in the 90s with movies like School Ties, George of the Jungle, Gods and Monsters and The Mummy, Fraser had a well received comeback performance in The Whale, winning Best Actor in 2023. He’s also recently starred in Killers of the Flower Moon and Brothers.
Joining Fraser in the Rental Family cast are Takehiro Hira, who starred in Shogun season 1 and Captain America: Brave New World, and Japanese Academy Award winner Akira Emoto.
Rental Family plot
With a script by Stephen Blahut and Hikari, the movie focuses on Fraser’s actor after he joins the rent-a-family company and is hired to be a stand-in in other people’s lives. But the experiences see him bonding with the families and forming surprising human connections.
Here is the official synopsis for Rental Family:
"Set against modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese 'rental family' agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he 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."
Rental Family trailer
The Rental Family trailer is now available online. Check it out right here:
Rental Family director
Hikari, in addition to co-writing the script, is the director of Rental Family. This is Hikari’s second feature directing credit after 37 Seconds (streaming on Netflix). Other credits include multiple episodes of Tokyo Vice and Beef.
Rental Family behind the scenes
Searchlight Pictures is the studio behind Rental Family, along with production companies Knockonwood and Sight Unseen. Producers on the movie are Hikari, Julia Lebedev, Eddie Vaisman and Shin Yamaguchi.
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