The Brendan Fraser comeback continues.
Searchlight Pictures has officially dated “Rental Family” for a November 21, 2025 release, right in the thick of awards season, and now a trailer has been unveiled. The film is set to world premiere at TIFF in September.
Set in Japan and directed by ‘Beef” breakout Hikari, the film stars Fraser as a washed-up American actor living in Tokyo who takes a job as a “rental family member” — a real-life Japanese service where actors are hired to play surrogate roles for lonely or grieving clients. What starts as a transactional gig slowly evolves into something more personal and emotionally raw.
Early word compares the tone to “The Holdovers” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” which should tell you what kind of film we’re dealing with: character-driven, emotional, with a balance of humor and feeling. We’ll see if the formula delivers once again for Searchlight.
The film has tested really well. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’ll be greeted with widespread approval, it remains to be seen if an unproven filmmaker can launch another successful Oscar campaign for Searchlight. Slight red flag? the film is oddly not headed to Telluride.
Fraser, coming off his 2023 Oscar win for “The Whale,” is said to deliver another deeply empathetic performance — one that could very well put him back in the awards conversation. One look at the trailer, and Oscar bait is written all over it — don’t be surprised if it wins the TIFF People’s Choice Award.
This is Hikari’s sophomore feature and her biggest project to date. With “Rental Family,” Searchlight seems to be returning to its sweet spot: mid-budget prestige dramedy with the potential for a strong emotional pull. One to keep an eye on.