Brendan Fraser is stepping back into the spotlight with Rental Family, his first lead role since winning an Academy Award for The Whale in 2022.
Searchlight Pictures released the trailer on August 5, giving fans a glimpse of Fraser as an actor who takes on an unconventional gig with a Japanese “rental family” agency.
Despite viewers only having a trailer to go by today, numerous netizens have already shared their intention to watch the film.
Fraser plays a struggling actor who pretends to be family or friends for strangers in Tokyo
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
In Rental Family, Fraser, 56, plays a down-on-his-luck actor who takes a job with a Japanese rental family agency, a real-world service where actors are hired to play roles like a parent, sibling, or spouse in a client’s life.
The agency’s goal is to help clients fill emotional gaps or maintain appearances in society, according to People magazine.
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
The trailer opens with Fraser’s character donning outrageous costumes for uninspiring gigs.
Clearly disillusioned, he’s presented with a new offer: a role that requires him to “sell emotion” by stepping into personal lives and helping clients “connect to what’s missing.”
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
Despite his doubts, the character accepts the job, despite the agency joking that he was being hired as their “token white guy.”
“As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality.
“Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging and the quiet beauty of human connection,” Rental Family’s synopsis reads.
Rental Family explores emotional healing through performance and identity
Rental Family doesn’t just lean on its quirky premise for laughs. Its story delves into deeper questions about identity, emotional vulnerability, and the human desire for connection.
As Fraser’s character continues his work, he becomes more immersed in his clients’ lives, forming bonds that challenge the boundary between work and real connections.
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
The movie was directed by Hikari, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Blahut. The cast includes Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, and Akira Emoto.
It’s produced by Hikari alongside Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, and Shin Yamaguchi.
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
The film is scheduled to have its premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
Rental Family is expected to start its theatrical release on November 21, 2025.
Fraser’s career revival continues after his award-winning performance in The Whale
Rental Family marks another step in Brendan Fraser’s remarkable Hollywood comeback.
According to People magazine, Fraser’s career took a turn for the worse when he alleged that Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) President Philip Berk s**ually a**aulted him in 2003.
Berk disputed the allegations, and Fraser stated that his decision to come forward resulted in him being blacklisted in Hollywood.
That is, at least, until Fraser reemerged with a powerful performance in The Whale, which earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
“I started in this business 30 years ago, and things, they didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped. And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgment,” he said.
Since his Oscar win, Fraser has taken on smaller supporting roles in high-profile films like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and the comedy Brothers (2024).
Image credits: SearchlightPictures
He’s also set to portray former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the upcoming film Pressure, and will appear in Assassination, a new project exploring the events surrounding JFK’s m**der.
Social media users are excited for Fraser’s newest project
Netizens, for their part, have expressed strong words of support for Rental Family.
Image credits: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
“Man, looking at Brendan Frasier gives me hope that no matter how much life puts you down, you always rise up,” one commenter wrote.
“Any role that Brendan Fraser plays is always entertaining to watch. I’m so glad he’s back, especially in these past few years. He truly appreciates his fans,” another wrote.
Some social media users even floated the idea of Fraser potentially getting another Oscar win with Rental Family.
“I immediately teared up when I saw ‘Academy Award Winner Brendan Fraser.’ I have never been so invested in someone’s comeback before,” wrote one commenter.
“I just root for him so much,” wrote another.
Netizens expressed their support for Brenden Fraser on social media
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