Joey Magidson
There’s a quietness and a whimsy to Rental Family that most dramedies struggle to sustain. Usually, there’s a hard pivot towards the drama at one point or another. This movie is fairly consistent in taking a light touch with things, even when being serious. It’s a gentle work, one that has generated a lot of fans here at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it made its World Premiere.
Rental Family is a cousin to Lost in Translation, though here’s theres a smaller vibe than that modern classic contained. That being said, both films are well acted, very nice to look at, and leave you with an emotionally full feeling inside. So, they have their similarities. This flick is doing its own thing, however, and doing it fairly well.
American actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser) has been in Japan for seven years, trying to further his career. There’s been one broad toothpaste commercial, one that made a bit of a fool out of him, but not much work besides that. Then, one day he’s given a day job playing a “sad American” at a funeral. It turns out that the company Rental Family does this all the time, is looking to hire, and thinks Phillip is perfect for the role.
Initially leery, Phillip eventually jumps in, playing a husband to a bride, a journalist interviewing a legendary actor in his twilight years, and a father to a young girl whose mother needs him to help her get into a prestigious school. Especially with the latter two gigs, Phillip grows close to his unknowing clients. Of course, he’ll eventually have the lines blur between acting and actual emotional affection, with interesting results.
Brendan Fraser is immensely huggable here in one of his sweetest roles. He’s not cartoonishly nice, but a genuinely kind and warm person. It’s what makes Phillip skeptical about the service but actually perfect to execute it. It’s very strong work from Fraser, who’s very much in an exciting new phase of his career. Supporting players include Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto, but Fraser is the star of the show.
Filmmaker Hikari directs a screenplay she wrote with Stephen Blahut. Visually, the film is often stunning. Her direction is tender, though never fantastical. However, the script that Hikari penned with Blahut does traffic overall in material we know, as well as follows a plot with absolutely no surprises. It’s strictly vibes here, along with Fraser’s work, which is still pretty good stuff, but doing go in expecting the wheel to have been re-invented.
Rental Family will almost certainly move you, since it’s a gentle story told well. It’s just unlikely to blow you away. Still, that’s not bad, and as one of the more well liked titles at TIFF this year, is likely to have a strong future ahead of it this season.
SCORE: ★★★
Comments
Loading…