Believe it or not, Brendan Fraser could be headed back to the Oscars.
After winning Best Actor in 2023 for “The Whale,” Fraser might return to the awards conversation with “Rental Family,” the sophomore effort from “Beef” helmer Hikari.
The film, produced by Searchlight and set in Japan, has been described as a tender, funny, and deeply human story — one that’s already drawing comparisons to other crowd-pleasing Best Picture nominees.
The story follows a down-on-his-luck American actor living in Tokyo, played by Fraser, who takes on work as a “rental family member,” a bizarre but very real Japanese service in which actors are hired to play roles in the lives of lonely clients. What starts as performance slowly evolves into something more honest, raw, and therapeutic.
The film, I’m told, by sources, has been testing through the roof; one particular attendees was immensely won over, and described Hikari’s film this way.
It’s very good. Similar warm feeling you get from stuff like “The Holdovers” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” Fraser is fantastic as an aspiring and aged actor in Japan who develops multiple relationships with clients — he’s so honest and genuine, and the movie around him is just as effective.
As for Fraser .. it might be career-best work, far surpassing what he did in Darren Aronofsky‘s “The Whale,” which won him the Oscar statuette back in 2023.
He’s certainly Oscar-worthy. His performance here easily bests his performance in “The Whale.” He’s someone who feels fully realized, honest, flawed, lovable and personal. This is the type of film all audiences can agree on as a genuinely great film.
What we might have here is the kind of low-key, but emotionally resonant indie that, if positioned well, could ride a wave of goodwill through the fall circuit and into awards season.
Of course, it it’s too early to tell, but all signs point to a real crowd-pleaser, and there are already murmurs that it’s already clinched a spot at the Telluride Film Festival, which is known to be a major Oscar launchpad.
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