Overview
- Searchlight Pictures will release the film in U.S. theaters on Nov. 21, with a Japan opening set for Feb. 27.
- Brendan Fraser stars as an American actor who takes jobs from a Tokyo rental-family agency that supplies stand-ins for personal roles.
- Director-writer Hikari based the story on real Japanese services, exploring loneliness, cultural difference and the ethics of surrogate intimacy.
- Critics widely praise Fraser’s performance while assessments of the film diverge on tone and depth, with some finding it heartfelt and others calling it overly sentimental.
- Fraser prepared by immersing himself in Tokyo and studying Japanese, with Hikari noting he took language classes several times a week.