‘Rental Family’ review: Brendan Fraser’s fantastic comeback continues

The return of Brendan Fraser to movies has been full of fun surprises over the past several years. 

He’s gone from “Monkeybone” to Oscar winner; from being the aughts’ favorite action-comedy star in films such as “The Mummy” and “George of the Jungle” to everybody’s kind, albeit flawed, dad. 

That is, in essence, the role Fraser plays in “Rental Family,” a bittersweet dramedy from director Hikari set in Tokyo. He’s Phillip, a pop for hire.

Or a groom, or a funeral mourner, or an admiring reporter. You name it. In Japan, you can really pay people to pretend to be all those things and more — a fresh take on the oldest profession.

Phillip is a mostly out-of-work American actor who has started a new life in Asia. And to make a buck, he’s taken on parts in real people’s lives for a company called Rental Family, owned by an aggressive startup type named Shinji (Takehiro Hira). 

For instance, Phillip helps a closeted lesbian trick her traditional parents into believing she’s marrying a dude by donning the tux and saying, “I do.” The madcap scene plays out like a farce.

But the assignment that finally cracks the man, who heretofore has been very good at his bizarre job, is faking being a little girl named Mia’s father to help her get into a highly selective school. 

At first Mia hates him, believing Phillip abandoned her as a baby. Then she starts wishing he were around more. There’s a whiff of “Mrs. Doubtfire” to their warming friendship, only minus the camp and, well, drag. “Rental Family” is no zany comedy.

Meanwhile, off the clock, Phillip is single, childless and his only intimacy is with a prostitute — a mirror of himself. Being a dad, even a pretend one, rewires him.  

“Rental Family” is a heartwarming jewel of a movie that is a dazzling showcase of Japan’s urban and natural beauty, instead of the usual depiction of hoards of tourists surrounded by skyscrapers and lit by LEDs.

Before the deadly serious “The Whale,” the first major step in Fraser’s fascinating second act, I didn’t know the actor could be so gentle and compassionate. Not to mention tortured. After all, he’d heroically swung in on ropes in multiple films. 

But it turns out he’s a softie with a direct line to our souls. 

There isn’t anguish here, of course. Phillip isn’t homebound, like the devastating character that won Fraser an Academy Award. However, he’s similarly lonely and dreaming of a better life. And this story is a great deal more optimistic than “The Whale,” which is a tough watch for many. 

Phillip is a perfect part for Fraser, and he’s as terrific as you’d hope he be.

“Rental Family” doesn’t rely on him completely. He’s the straight man surrounded by a pack of quirky, adorable characters.

There is his stubborn and direct coworker Aiko (Mari Yamamoto), who puts up with far more objectionable gigs than Phillip ever would.      

And an elderly stage actor, Kikuo (Akira Emoto), who Phillip has been hired to “interview” for a fake magazine, has old-school theatrical panache. And only Phillip seems to grasp how extraordinary he is. They go on a risky adventure.

And Shannon Mahina Gorman makes a precocious Mia, who dreams of having a dad.

The ending could hit home more, true. Ultimately “Rental Family” doesn’t aspire to be much more than genial, lovable and small. 

But not everything needs to be a whale.