It’s overly common for international media to focus on the quirkier side of things when it comes to shining a spotlight on Japan. Renting the likes of boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, pets, families and so on is one such example that’s been covered a fair amount over recent years by American chat show hosts and YouTubers, and it has even been the subject of a few other movies too. This one, directed by Hikari, is a Japanese and American co-production that focuses on helping people connect to what’s missing in their lives.

Brendan Fraser’s Philip Vanderploeg is a struggling American actor in Tokyo whose most famous work is a popular toothpaste commercial from seven years ago. In search of a solid acting job, he is one day given the chance to work for Rental Family, a company owned by Shinji played by Takehiro Hira who I recognised from ‘Lost Girls & Love Hotels‘ (2020).

During his meeting with Shinji, Philip is initially not sold easily on the idea of being a fake family member or friend. He properly conveys the moral weight of the rental family but he’s vulnerable and on hearing that mental health issues are stigmatized in Japan and that they are actually selling emotion to help clients connect to what’s missing, he decides to make the best of the situation.

It’s a niche market and it’s a role with a real meaning that needs filling by a company looking for a token white man. Nice work if you can get it, and I do indeed know a few people here who have been employed for such reasons. Of course, the rental family idea introduces all kinds of moral issues and could potentially be considered heavy material for many as people’s lives are affected for better or worse, but this film is generally presented in a lighthearted and quite fluffy way.

In a country of over 120 million people, a landscape of isolation has emerged paving the way for the creation of this unusual industry which really does exist. It may well raise many eyebrows, but it is one that offers companionship, emotional support and the illusion of the ideal happy family life albeit with a sizeable fee involved!

Warning: Contains spoilers!

Philip’s first assignment is marrying a closet lesbian (Japan still does not legally recognise same-sex marriages) in a fake wedding to satisfy her parents who get the memory they want whilst she then moves abroad to get her freedom. After a relatively straightforward but slightly surreal start he moves on to his next cases where things are turned up a few notches in terms of emotional weight. He has to actually pretend to a young child that he is her father for real to give her confidence and help the mother get her into a school.

The other major storyline involves him playing a fake journalist interviewing an old washed-up director about his career to make him feel relevant again. The problem for Philip with these two cases is that he gets emotionally attached to the young daughter and the director and inevitably crosses the line between his work duties and getting too involved.

Admittedly I’m not too familiar with Fraser’s back catalogue of work as I never saw ‘George of the Jungle‘ (1997) or ‘The Mummy‘ films. However, I did see and thoroughly enjoyed his performance in ‘The Whale‘ (2022) which deservedly won him an Academy Award for best actor. He has a certain good-natured sensibility to him but one of his colleagues (Mari Yamamoto as Aiko) also shines when pretending to be a mistress apologising to wives of unfaithful husbands who often gets slapped in her role.

The outdoor scenes are entirely shot in Japan with filming locations including Shinjuku-ku (Kagurazaka-dori and Zenkou-ji Temple are very visible) in and Amakusa in Kyushu which featured in the latter stages of this 109-minute film. You could say that the locales are a character but it is basically a character driven movie about human connection which has a fine balance of Japanese and English language. Similarly to ‘Lost in Translation‘ (2003), the English can actually be a little difficult to hear at times though which was quite frustrating.

‘Rental Family‘ is fairly predictable in terms of the fake connections of “just a job” turning into real and much deeper feelings. It’s a thought-provoking and poignant comedy drama with a quirky premise about loneliness, unfulfilled dreams and the price and value of honesty. White lies are generally accepted as being a good thing but is paying for someone to act as the void in your life a step too far?

Tokyo Fox Rating 8/10