Rental Family

Directed by Hikari, Rental Family follows an unemployed American actor (Brendan Fraser’s Phillip Vanderploeg) as he agrees to fulfill roles within families in need. It’s an intriguing premise that is, for the most part, employed to watchable (albeit somewhat erratic) effect by Hikari, as the filmmaker, armed with a script written alongside Stephen Blahut, delivers a solid drama that benefits from its smattering of engrossing digressions and Fraser’s strikingly magnetic efforts – with, in terms of the latter, the actor offering up a completely engrossing (and convincing) turn that remains an obvious (and ongoing) highlight within the proceedings. And although it’s clear, ultimately, that the 110 minute runtime does result in a few less-than-gripping subplots, with this particularly true of everything involving Phillip’s encounters with an older customer, Rental Family, buoyed by its recurring emphasis on the thoroughly satisfying (and unexpectedly heartwrenching) relationship between Fraser’s character and a fatherless little girl, predominantly comes off as a terrific, engaging piece of work that boasts, at its core, one of Fraser’s very best performances.

***1/2 out of ****