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By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Conceptually, the premise of renting out human connections is very intriguing, especially with everyone buried in their phones slowly losing their ability to socialize. “Rental Family” tries very hard to be a sweet drama with strong messaging, but it becomes a bit too sweet, leaving cavities in its wake. Not even the always kind demeanor of Brendan Fraser can cover up the obvious holes in the story.
Phillip Vandarpleog (Brendan Fraser) is a struggling American actor in Japan whose one claim to fame is a silly toothpaste commercial from years ago. Since then, he’s lived a very solitary life going from one audition to the next, unable to land a steady job. This all changes when he meets Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira), who offers him a strange gig, to fill important roles in strangers’ lives. Becoming a temporary husband, a friend, a confidant, and even a father, Phillip finds something more meaningful than a career in acting, a chance for human connection.
For Japanese born filmmaker Hikari, who now resides in California, this is a homecoming of sorts, returning to her roots to shed light on Japanese culture through a heartfelt story. Unbelievably, it is actually quite true that rental family companies do exist in Japan for the purpose of providing paid actors to fulfill a role for various occasions. Hikari does a superb job of illustrating this eccentric practice in a way that can be understood and even appreciated by people of other cultures. Although, she does tend to overexplain situations rather than trust in the audience’s awareness and interpretation.
Once the shine of the new concept wears off, Hikari slips into very formulaic storytelling that makes for a predictable sequence of events, having the main character experience the typical rollercoaster of high highs and low lows. With such a basic approach, execution needs to be near perfect for the film to be great, and it is far from perfect. While Hikari meticulously resolves the main storyline, she neglects some of the subplots involving the side characters, letting them wither and die as if they shouldn’t have been introduced in the first place. Like revealing the company owner’s strange family life or lack thereof, only to never circle back, which leaves audiences confused as to its inclusion.
In addition to the plot holes, Hikari introduces odd character contradictions that feel completely out of place. For instance, the main character is created to be this sweetheart of a man who holds himself to a higher moral standard. So, when he’s all of a sudden in bed with a prostitute, it doesn’t jive with this image, creating a strange inconsistency that many will find off-putting. There are weird, inexplicable moments like these throughout the film that degrade the emotional connection. Along with her decision to continually alternate between English, Japanese with English subtitles, and garbled English with heavy accents, viewer frustration begins to boil over.
Oscar winner Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) is perfectly suited for this role as the gentle giant, oozing kindness in every scene. He has this perpetual, puppy dog kind of look that makes his character harmless and appealing. He listens to the other characters with intensity, valuing every word they utter. When he does speak his profound lines of wisdom, it portrays his character as almost too perfect for a human being. Incorporating some imperfect reactions and responses could have grounded his character more in a realistic and relatable way. Fans of “The Mummy” franchise will be pleased to know that Fraser will be returning to his famed role for the next installment.
The film benefits from a sound supporting cast led by Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto. Hira is a veteran actor, recognizable in both film and television, having a major part in the award winning “Shogun” series. His versatility makes him adaptable to almost any role which comes into play here as the company owner who sells emotions but doesn’t fully understand them. Coincidentally, Yamamoto has worked with Hira on the TV series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” She portrays her character most convincingly of all, displaying a tough exterior but with more complicated feelings lying beneath the surface. She gives the kind of performance that will leave viewers disappointed in her underutilization.
This is a sentimental movie with an endearing message about human connection at its core that will work hard to pull on your heart strings. The excessively cloying fluff, discordant character behaviors, and neglected subplots, however, make “Rental Family” a more suitable rental option than a theatrical endeavor. Even still, exposure to another culture can never be a bad thing.
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