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Brendan Fraser’s ‘Rental Family’ Opens in U.S. Theaters With Praise and Real-World Roots

Drawing on Japan’s surrogate-relationship services, the drama tests how performed roles forge connection at real moral cost.

Overview

  • Fraser plays an American expatriate actor who takes jobs at a Tokyo agency that supplies stand‑ins for family and social roles.
  • Searchlight releases the PG-13 feature nationwide today at about 103 minutes, with early reviews highlighting its humor-and-heart balance.
  • The Chicago Tribune gives 3.5 out of 4 stars as critics broadly commend Fraser’s empathetic turn and Hikari’s direction while questioning the ethics of certain scenarios.
  • Hikari says she researched hundreds of companies offering such services in Japan, and an AP interview with practitioner Ryuichi Ichinokawa details typical assignments and fees of roughly ¥9,800–¥30,000.
  • Fraser studied Japanese for the role to deliver lines convincingly, underscoring the film’s emphasis on cultural and linguistic authenticity.