Acting is a tough industry to find steady work in, as any actor can attest. Things are no different for Phillip in “Rental Family” — at least, until he comes across what seems like the strangest job of his life.
Directed by Hikari, the film centers on Phillip (Brendan Fraser), an expat living in Japan and struggling to find steady acting work. He made it big thanks to a toothpaste commercial, but hasn’t found anything to sink his teeth into since. One day, his agent calls him up and tells him he’s got a job.
Phillip’s been hired to play a mystery mourner at a fake funeral. The job comes from Rental Family Inc., who employ actors to play various roles in real people’s lives.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is the release date?
After making the festival circuit, “Rental Family” releases everywhere on Friday, Nov. 21.
Is it streaming?
It is not. You’ll only be able to go see “Rental Family” in theaters for the time being. However, the film comes from Disney’s Searchlight, which means when the time comes, you’ll find it streaming on Hulu/Disney+ first.
For now, you can search for showtimes near you below:
What is it about?
“Rental Family” centers on Phillip (Fraser), an actor who’s been living in Japan for seven years, and struggling to find steady work. That is, until he’s given a job by Rental Family Inc., in which he literally plays roles in people’s real lives — from a father, to a journalist, to a funeral-goer. As he continues on in the gig, he learns just how important the job may really be.
Is it based on a true story?
The story itself isn’t based on any one real-life person, but the concept of renting a person to play a role definitely is based in reality. According to Fraser, there are roughly 300 businesses that exist in Japan now — they’ve been around since the 1980s — and they “service clients who feel isolated, who feel secluded, who feel lonely, honestly, and they get people to stand in for family members in their lives.”
