Three years after winning Best Actor for his performance in The Whale (capping a remarkable career comeback), Brendan Fraser could find himself in contention again courtesy of Rental Family. Directed by Hikari (best known for making episodes of the acclaimed Netflix series Beef), the Japan set dramedy has premiered at the Toronto Film Festival prior to its November 21st domestic bow. The supporting cast includes Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman and Akira Emoto.

Canadian reaction indicates this a crowdpleaser with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 Metacritic. This might be a trendy pick for the People’s Choice Award at TIFF which often correlates to a BP nod at the Academy Awards. Family could certainly snag one of the ten spots though I don’t see Hikari as a threat in director. His original screenplay with Stephen Blahut is more of a possibility.

In an Actor race that is starting to look crowded, Fraser will certainly be in the mix. In recent weeks, I have predicted Yamamoto in Supporting Actress and Emoto in Supporting Actor. Word-of-mouth suggests their inclusion (while not out of the question) could face tougher odds than Fraser (who I’ve yet to place in the Actor quintet). Let’s see if that changes in my next update that is coming soon. If his costars miss the cut, the new Casting race could be a place where this snags another mention. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…