Overview
- Searchlight’s film began its U.S. theatrical run on Nov. 21 and is not yet streaming, with an eventual debut on Hulu/Disney+ expected after its theatrical window.
- Written and directed by Hikari, the drama-comedy follows an American actor hired by a Tokyo agency to play roles in clients’ lives, reflecting real services documented in Japan.
- Hikari and press materials cite roughly 300 rental-companion companies operating in Japan, with demand tied to stigma around therapy and a desire for discreet connection.
- Reviews from the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, RogerEbert.com and others praise Fraser’s humane performance and the film’s gentle tone while questioning plausibility and the ethics of staged relationships.
- The most scrutinized plotlines involve recurring assignments to an aging screen legend and to a school-age girl, which the movie approaches thoughtfully without easy answers.