Rental Family: Brendan Frasier a number of years ago was the hunky action star in such movies as The Mummy and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Then he disappeared for a while but returned with a vengeance (acting wise) with his award winning role in The Whale. Within the role, he morphed into a John Candy-like big man with a big heart and empathetic nature. He was likeable and believable. Now his follow up picture puts him to use those skills acting in Japan.
He plays an American actor living and working in Japan. He gets the odd role, but is approached one day by a guy who runs a rental service. He employs actors, thus the need for Frasier, who assist people with emotional needs.
It is easy to dismiss this movie as a young girl in need of a Daddy figure, but that would just be scratching the surface and not embracing the depth within. Frasier, with hesitancy, decides to help out and get a paying gig. His first assignment seems simple, acting as an older groom for a young Japanese woman looking for her freedom. Freedom from her country, her family, her marital obligations and the expectations culturally that are placed upon her. The second and third gigs involve the aforementioned little girl, whose Mom wants her to get into a prestigious school, and she feels that having a “family” for the interviews will increase the likelihood for success. For Frasier it involves having the young girl like him. The story goes on.
For me this movie wins in the depth of the story. It’s not just surrogacy. Frasier connects with his clients in ways that the business owner doesn’t foresee. What the owner sees as a paycheck, Frasier sees as manipulation. He doesn’t like it. Frasier has his own life story which blends well here. The same is true for other employees and actors in the company. All the stories feel genuine and real. Frasier brings forth someone who acts in his own way, showing his humanity and doing what he feels is right for his clients. Not just reading the lines from a script that the one paying directs. It works. It is emotional and clever. Frasier once again is likeable and discloses his own layers over time. Each of the characters seems to grow as the story unfolds logically. But the emotional hook is what will stay with you as the credits roll. John Candy once did a cheesey movie called Summer Rental. This is better than that. It has some similarities to Candy’s Uncle Buck which was a better film than Summer Rental. I highly recommend this movie. Seek it out and see for yourself what you get from it.
No Other Choice: this South Korean film was released back in August. It speaks about the concept of having few or no alternatives. Set in the present day, there is a husband and wife with two children. They own a home and seem to be doing well. Husband had worked for 25 years in the paper manufacturing business, building up a business from the ground up. His company was just acquired by an American firm. Unbeknownst to him, he unceremoniously gets downsized. He had felt he had a perfect life. This goes sideways quickly.
We learn that his wife was a single mom before meeting him. His youngest, a daughter, is about 8 years old and speaks very little. What she has is a talent in playing the cello. The parents don’t hear her perform. Older son is a typical teenager. Moody and seeking independence. Upon the termination husband cannot focus. He thinks about other paper-related jobs. After a couple of rejections he becomes more anxious. So does his wife. The rest of the story explores just how far they are willing to go. This is a dark tale with some black humour thrown in. For example, husband chooses to identify paper managers in common with him and then seeks to physically eliminate them. Working on another level we see the same efforts in the businesses that the husband is applying to; they seek AI and make investments in robotics to eliminate the need for people (or even lights). From the man who “had it all” he sacrifices a lot to regain some aspect of his earlier dream. His relationship with his wife changes. He witnesses how other marriages are impacted by job changes. In this society, having a job defines you and who you are. It is well told and acted. There are some gruesome scenes with escalating intensity. Part of me thought that if husband channeled his efforts in using his skills in a more productive way, he would have landed a job elsewhere. But this I think is one of the points of the movie. He doesn’t see beyond these immediate opportunities in a given industry. He also doesn’t always help himself in making light in conversation. He wouldn’t ever be hired as a contract killer to be sure. It seems the Academy doesn’t watch many subtitled films but this was a decent one.
Mondays With Robbie 