Overview
- Searchlight Pictures opens the film in U.S. theaters Nov. 21, with a PG-13 rating and a 103-minute running time.
- Brendan Fraser plays an American actor who takes assignments from a Tokyo agency that hires performers to pose as family or friends, a premise drawn from real businesses in Japan.
- Critics commend Fraser’s empathetic lead turn and Hikari’s naturalistic direction that centers everyday life in Tokyo.
- Appraisals diverge on tonal balance and narrative cohesion, with ratings spanning strong endorsement to more measured views.
- Subplots involving a selective school application and an aging screen icon’s reminiscences surface ethical questions about consent, deception and the limits of paid connection.