Photo Credit: Getty Images
Two of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival’s most high-profile world premieres — Roofman and Rental Family — screened back-to-back on Saturday evening, instantly igniting the conversation around the festival’s audience award and the crowded best actor Oscar race. Despite being vastly different in style and setting, both films share a striking throughline: stories of well-meaning liars brought to life by actors with enormous public goodwill, delivering performances strong enough to push them firmly into awards contention.
At Roy Thomson Hall, Roofman debuted to a packed house. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, known for Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, the film represents the filmmaker’s boldest foray into comedic territory yet. Adapted from a true story and co-written with Kirt Gunn, the film stars Channing Tatum as Jeffrey Manchester, a divorced father who turns to an unusual brand of courteous crime — robbing dozens of McDonald’s locations in hopes of better supporting his ex-wife and three children. After prison time and a daring escape, Manchester reinvents himself while hiding inside a Toys ‘R’ Us, where he falls for an employee played by Kirsten Dunst.
The tonal balance of humor and heart could have easily faltered, but Cianfrance largely succeeds, thanks in no small part to what many are calling a career-best performance from Tatum. The actor, who hasn’t had such a prestige showcase since Foxcatcher in 2014, makes a compelling case for his first-ever Oscar nomination. Dunst, meanwhile, is equally luminous in a supporting role that could return her to the awards race after her 2021 nomination for The Power of the Dog. Paramount is positioning Roofman as its top awards-season priority, with an October 10 theatrical release planned.
Later the same evening at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, audiences were treated to Rental Family, the sophomore feature from Japanese director Hikari (37 Seconds, Beef). The film explores Japan’s real-life “rental family” services — businesses that provide strangers to fill personal roles in people’s lives. The story centers on an out-of-work American actor in Tokyo, played by Brendan Fraser, who stumbles into the industry and quickly excels at the work. His clients range from an aging acting legend (Akira Emoto) to a fatherless young girl (newcomer Shannon Gorman), whose mother hopes to secure her daughter’s academic future.
Fraser’s turn — vulnerable, warm, and deeply human — evokes comparisons to classic Jimmy Stewart roles, and audiences responded accordingly. Insiders report that Rental Family is one of the best-testing films in recent years, striking a rare balance of humor and poignancy. Following his Oscar win for The Whale just two years ago, Fraser now finds himself once again in the thick of the best actor race. Searchlight Pictures will release the film on November 21.
With both films drawing strong responses and riding star-powered central performances, Tatum and Fraser emerge as formidable contenders. Add to that the possibility of Toronto’s prestigious People’s Choice Award — a prize that has historically been a predictor of Oscar success — and the buzz surrounding Roofman and Rental Family looks set to only intensify as awards season heats up.
