Celebrating the Digital Release of Rental Family! {Giveaway Contest}

Last week, I attended an event to celebrate the digital release of Searchlight Pictures’ Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser.

The film is a moving look at Japan’s “rental family” industry, a service dating back to the ’90s where people can hire surrogates to combat loneliness and social pressure.

While the concept might feel foreign, the movie beautifully explores the universal need for human connection, offering stand-ins for lost relatives or best friends, and even actors to “save face” by apologizing for family grievances.

Set in modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

Of all the different storylines, the one that resonated the most with me is the one with the aging father. Maybe it’s because my dad is getting older and I’m viewing the film through the character’s eyes. Either way, the scenes between Fraser’s character and the Japanese man were very touching and at the same time had me chuckling.

I also liked the subplot of the little girl who had an absentee father and Fraser’s character stepped in.

Overall, the film is a poignant (and funny!) introduction to how we find our “chosen family.” This is the kind of character-driven movie that is missing in theaters and on streaming platforms. I highly recommend checking it out!

As I mentioned at the start of the article, I was invited to a Rental Family party in Los Angeles.

Held at Budonoki, they had fun activations like photo ops, a letter writing station, and yummy bites. Check out the video below!

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The movie is available now to buy or rent on Digital and on February 17, you’ll be able to buy it on Blu-ray and DVD.

Digital & Blu-ray Bonus Materials*

• Featurette: Rental Family Revealed — Go behind the scenes with Brendan Fraser, director HIKARI, and the Japanese cast as they explore friendship, culture, found family, and filming in Japan in this intimate look at the making of Rental Family.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes:
  • Columbus
  • Crying Session
  • Apology
  • Aiko’s First Client
  • Clearbright
  • Tickets
  • Audition
  • Phone Call
  • Final Montage

*Bonus features vary by product and retailer

How would you like to win a digital copy of “Rental Family”? One Real Mom of SFV reader will win a digital code that can be redeemed at MoviesAnywhere.com. Please enter below for a chance to win.

**Winner will be chosen on February 5, 2026.**

Rental Family (Digital Version)

Rules: United States Residents ONLY. One prize per household. One winner will be randomly selected via Gleam and notified via email. Winner must respond within 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen via Gleam. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to send me an email to realmomofsfv@gmail.com.

So tell me, if you win this movie, who will you watch it with?

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a media event which helped facilitate this review. Images shown in this post are used with permission. Thanks to Searchlight Pictures for partnering with Real Mom of SFV on this contest. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.