Brendan Fraser's Heartwarming 2025 Sleeper Hit Sets Digital and Physical Release Date

4 days ago 12

Brendan Fraser and Mari Yamamoto laughing over drinks in Rental Family

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

After journeying to Japan and finding his place overseas, Brendan Fraser is now about to head home. Searchlight Pictures has announced that the beloved star's heartwarming dramedy Rental Family will bring its wholesome story to digital platforms and begin connecting with audiences outside of theaters starting next week, on January 13. Additionally, collectors will soon be able to add the acclaimed feel-good feature from writer-director Hikari to their shelves physically with a Blu-ray release on February 17. Complete with a bevy of new special features and a performance by the Oscar-winning actor that's been hailed among his best and most moving, it's a chance to start the year on a positive note with one of the more low-key gems of 2025.

Rental Family gives Fraser one of his more stripped-down and relatable roles as washed-up American actor Phillip Vanderploeg, who's now living in Tokyo. After finding some fleeting success advertising toothpaste in Japan, he finds himself feeling adrift in society without a feeling of purpose. However, he's soon offered an unexpected opportunity to join a "rental family" agency as their "token white guy," a new role that tasks him with standing in as important figures in people's lives, whether that be as a husband, a father, or simply a friend. Although it's all meant to be a performance to fill holes and give customers the connection they need, reality and fiction begin to blur as Phillip gets more genuinely invested in those he works with. It turns out to be the exact right place for him, though his humanity and empathetic heart create complications when he decides to deviate from the script to do what he thinks is best for the clients.

Fraser's latest Japan-set role marks his first since he officially completed his comeback tour in 2023 with an Oscar win for Best Actor in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale. Initially, following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, critics were buzzing about him potentially being in contention for another statuette this year. Alas, that's a bit of a tall order coming off a very stacked 2025 featuring powerhouse performances from Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another, and Michael B. Jordan in Sinners, among others. Nonetheless, Rental Family still earned its flowers, scoring a Certified Fresh 88% from critics and a Verified Hot 96% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 7/10 from Collider's Ross Bonaime, who called it "a satisfying, touching, and ultimately emotional film with sweet performances and quiet drama."

Who Else Stars in 'Rental Family'?

In addition to Fraser, 37 Seconds and Beef director Hikari also had Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, and Akira Emoto among her cast for Rental Family. She also served as a producer alongside Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, and Shin Yamaguchi. With the home release, viewers will be able to get a peek behind the scenes at how the heartfelt project came together, thanks to a new featurette titled "Rental Family Revealed." Featuring Fraser, Hikari, and the rest of the Japanese cast, it's described as an intimate look at the production with accounts from each exploring found family, cultural differences, and what it's like filming in Japan. Additionally, nine deleted or extended scenes will be included in both releases of the film.

Rental Family arrives on digital on January 13, before arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on February 17. Check out the new trailer above.