Brendan Fraser's 87% RT Emotional Hidden Gem Sets Streaming Release Date

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Brendan Fraser and Mari Yamamoto staring at each other in Rental Family

Published Feb 11, 2026, 10:01 AM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

The Brenaissance is still moving full steam ahead. Since winning his first Oscar for 2022's The Whale and completing his comeback on the big screen, Brendan Fraser is back to being a regular presence on film. In 2023, the Mummy heartthrob got to work with the legendary Martin Scorsese's acclaimed adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone, and he'd follow that up in 2024 with a comedic turn as a dirty cop in the Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage buddy flick, Brothers. It wasn't until late last year, however, that Fraser was thrust back into a leading role in the stripped-back, smaller-scale dramedy, Rental Family.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last year before hitting theaters in November, Rental Family was hailed as a perfect, sincere role for the Academy Award winner, earning a Certified Fresh 87% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 7/10 review courtesy of Collider's Ross Bonaime. Fraser plays Phillip Vanderploeg, an American actor living abroad in Japan who's been struggling to find purpose, having last found successful work in a toothpaste commercial years ago. Suddenly, he's offered his strangest and most unexpectedly life-changing role yet — working at a rental family company as the "token white guy." He starts playing a stand-in husband, father, friend, and more for strangers, and starts becoming genuinely attached to the people he works with. It's an exploration of clashing cultures, empathy, and companionship, as Phillip goes off script to best help his clients, even if it creates complications. Now, three months later, Hulu subscribers will soon be able to take in the tear-jerking dramedy from home.

The Searchlight Pictures film is set to hit Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in just one week on February 18. With it comes a strong supporting cast, including an acclaimed turn by Monarch: Legacy of Monsters star Mari Yamamoto as Phillip's colleague and friend, Aiko. She and Fraser are also joined by Takehiro Hira, Akira Emoto, and newcomer Shannon Mahina Gorman, who even earned a Critics Choice Award nomination for her part. At the helm as both writer and director was 37 Seconds and Beef's Hikari, with Stephen Blahut co-writing.

What's Next for Brendan Fraser After 'Rental Family'

Fraser is set to take on some larger-scale projects after Rental Family. This year, on May 29, he'll step into the shoes of General Dwight Eisenhower in the WWII drama Pressure, which tells the story of what's been deemed history's most consequential weather forecast. Based on David Haig's stage play recounting real events, the film will star Andrew Scott as meteorologist James Stagg, who was tasked with finding the ideal date for D-Day to take place, facing time and immense pressure from his superiors to ensure nature did not derail the Allied seaborne invasion that would turn the tide of battle against Germany. The date was also recently set for his return as Rick O'Connell alongside Rachel Weisz for Radio Silence's new The Mummy installment, though it'll be a bit of a wait as it won't be unearthed in theaters until May 19, 2028.

Rental Family arrives on Hulu on February 18. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the biggest films coming to streaming throughout the year.