It’s been over two years since Brendan Fraser won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Whale. And while he has had supporting roles in films like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Max Barbakow’s Brothers, he’s once again taking the marquee, as dramedy Family Rental has been announced for a November release via Searchlight Pictures.
In Family Rental – which was announced in November 2023 – Brendan Fraser plays a man hired by a rental family company, an actual service where people are given jobs as stand-ins for friends, family members, etc. – in Japan. It’s through this and his experiences along the way in which he learns far more about himself than he was expecting. With a November 21st release, Searchlight looks to be jockeying for another awards contender; with the themes at play, it also could make for a solid pre-Thanksgiving outing at the theater.
Brendan Fraser hit a dry spell in the late 2010s following sexual assault allegations against one-time Hollywood Foreign Press Association head Phillip Berk, essentially being blackballed by the industry. But Fraser persevered and came back in full force, starring in The Whale to tremendous acclaim, seeing nominations across the board (including at the Golden Globes, which he refused to attend). But he has mostly played it lowkey since that awards season run. Fortunately, he’s back in a starring role for Family Rental, and we couldn’t be happier because Fraser is, by pretty much all accounts, one of the most genuine dudes in the business.
The supporting cast of Family Rental includes Mari Yamamoto (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters), Takehiro Hira (Ishido Kazunari on Shōgun) and veteran actor Akira Emoto. The movie is directed by Hikari, who helmed drama 37 Seconds as well as a few seasons in the first season of Netflix’s Beef.
In addition to Rental Family, Searchlight Pictures also has Jay Roach comedy The Roses out towards the end of the summer and horror sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come set for April of next year. Earlier this year, they had a strong awards go with both A Complete Unknown and A Real Pain.
In addition to Rental Family, Searchlight Pictures also has Jay Roach comedy The Roses out towards the end of the summer and horror sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come set for April of next year. Earlier this year, they had a strong awards go with both A Complete Unknown and A Real Pain.