Brendan Fraser’s Rental Family Sets Digital Release Date

Rental Family, a joint effort between Japanese and American filmmakers, is gearing up for its digital debut. The film, led by Brendan Fraser and directed by Hikari—who’s previously worked on Tokyo Vice and the Netflix series Beef—will be available for digital rental and purchase from 13 January 2026. Punters can find it on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. For those who prefer a hard copy, the physical edition is set to land on 17 February. There’s still no word on when it’ll hit subscription streaming services.

After its cinema run in November 2025, Rental Family quickly picked up a fair bit of praise. The cast features Fraser alongside Mari Yamamoto, Akira Emoto, Takehiro Hira, and Shannon Mahina Gorman. The story centres on Phillip Vanderploeg, a washed-up actor from overseas, now living in Japan. Struggling to find his feet, he stumbles into a gig as a stand-in for families and strangers who are after a bit of connection.

Plot and Characters

Set in present-day Tokyo, the film follows Fraser’s character, an American bloke who’s lost his way and is searching for meaning in a place where he feels out of place. An unexpected job offer leads him to a ‘rental family’ agency, where he’s paid to fill in as a family member or friend for people who need someone to lean on. As he gets deeper into these roles, the line between acting and real life starts to blur. The experience stirs up his empathy and draws him into the lives of his clients, often pushing him to go off-script when his compassion takes over.

The official synopsis puts it this way:

"Set in modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family stars Brendan Fraser as a has-been American actor searching for purpose and belonging in a society where he feels increasingly adrift. An unexpected acting call leads him to a 'rental family' agency, where he is hired to play stand-in roles for strangers seeking connection. As performance begins to blur with reality, the immersive role-playing awakens his humanity and compassion, drawing him deeply into his clients’ lives and pushing him off-script whenever his empathetic heart takes over."

Critical Response

Since its release, Rental Family has been met with strong reviews. It’s currently sitting at 88% on the Tomatometer, earning a Certified Fresh badge, while the audience score is even higher at 96%, marked as Verified Hot. Fraser’s performance has been singled out as a highlight, with many calling it one of the year’s best turns.

Mark Keizer, writing for MovieWeb, had this to say about Fraser’s work:

"Fraser beautifully undersells Hikari and co-writer Stephen Blahut's most dramatic lines of dialogue using facial combinations so expressive that his head must have its own winch-and-pulley system. It's a very sweet and sympathetic performance."

Oddly enough, despite all the buzz, Fraser hasn’t made it onto the Best Actor shortlists for the 2026 awards season.

Director’s Perspective

Director Hikari has spoken about the character’s journey, noting,

"Philip is how he connects with other characters."

Hikari adds:

"He's basically never married. He marries a woman. He never had a child. He has a child, and he also plays a father role. That's how he invests his life. What he did in these steps again was not stop. He kept going. I want to learn."

Hikari continues,

"That is his willingness to learn. He's willing to take a step. He says he's willing to do whatever the clients want. It really led him to have this whole family, and then also woke up a lot of people as he went too—for example, Takehiro Hira's character, Shinji Tada. I really hope our audience will see themselves in Philip, get in his shoes, walk as if they're Philip, and then discover what they find."