Paul-André Delalande (Benoît Poelvoorde) is one of the richest men in Belgium – in fact, he has accumulated such an enormous wealth, his entire business was bought by another entity, and he still manages to live an extremely luxurious lifestyle. However, this is probably a result of him not having a family to spend his fortune on. For most, this is an ideal life – but Paul-André is crippled by such extreme loneliness, he fails to see how anyone can be happy in such a situation. While watching the news one evening, he sees a particularly interesting story – a young woman named Violette Mandini (Virginie Efira) has recently been arrested for shoplifting, which she claims was only to support her children, since she’s the single mother of a young son (Calixte Broisin-Doutaz) and a teenage daughter (Pauline Serieys), who are both her joy and cause of worry. This prompts Paul-André to actually make use of his wealth for a change – and contacting Violette, he asks her a daring question: he wants to “rent” her family, becoming a part of their daily lives, and an essential component in their familial activities. He wants to feel the same joy that comes with cherishing another human being and caring for them. At first, Violette is bewildered by such a request – but when he offers to pay not only a years’ worth of wages, but also settle all of her debts, she struggles to turn the offer down. This starts a three-month-long experiment between the social classes, with the two polar opposites doing their best to work together, but often struggling to reconcile their radically different perspectives on life. However, deep down they realize that there is an opportunity for real change in both of them, as well as the potential for a genuine romance on the horizon.

Some films don’t need the most original story, not the most inspiring performances, to be considered a success. It’s often more than appropriate for a film to be built on a solid foundation of soulfulness and a lot of heart, which is exactly what seems to be behind the creation of Family for Rent (French: Une famille à louer), the endearing Belgian comedy by Jean-Pierre Améris, who puts together a captivating story of a group of profoundly lonely people finding each other through unexpected means, and forming a long-lasting connection based on their close proximity to one another. Family for Rent may not be a particularly great film – in many ways, it defines the idea of the mediocre, middling comedy made for general audiences to enjoy, rather than to be remembered for much longer than the time it takes to tell this story. For those seeking a deep and insightful character study, this film may be something of a disappointment, in the same way it would be for those looking for a powerful social drama. However, what this film does succeed in being is a solid and reliable comedy about family values, and the importance of cherishing absolutely everyone in your life, regardless of who it is. It could be your closest friend or most beloved family member, or a complete stranger that you encounter by chance – there’s always the possibility that you could meet the most important person in your life by accident, so there’s always value in reaching out and trying to find the meaning in every situation. It may be slightly too deep for a film of this calibre, but it certainly seems to be the concept fuelling much of what we see on screen.

In all honesty, my reasons for seeking out Family for Rent are contained to my admiration for the wonderful Virginie Efira, who has ascended from mainstream television host, to one of the most valuable and interesting young actresses in contemporary European cinema, her contributions to her craft being absolutely staggering, even if she’s only recently been the beneficiary of widespread public appeal and critical acclaim. This film does service her relatively well – she’s an incredible actress with a penchant for both comedy and drama, both of which are used quite effectively in this film. The film is propelled almost entirely on the merits behind her performance – the intricate details that underpin every moment seem genuine, and in the hands of a lesser actress, the role might’ve been far less captivating. The co-lead of the film (and essentially its protagonist, until Efira steals every scene she is in, to the point where Family for Rent becomes her film entirely), is Benoît Poelvoorde, an actor notorious for his eccentric method of acting, and his oddly prolific career. Playing the rich but lonely former businessman who just yearns for an ordinary life, he isn’t bad at all – and he gradually manages to win us over, even if he is constructed as one of the most unlikable characters in recent memory. He’s out of touch and a bit of a sad-sack loser – but he’s got a good heart, and like in the case of Efira, the film benefits Poelvoorde by finding the precise balance between both sides of his personality. There’s an unexpected amount of chemistry that occurs between the duo, and they bring out the best in one another – and perhaps even manage to elevate the film as a whole.

At its heart, Family for Rent isn’t about anything other than, as the title suggests, the importance of family. The premise itself is fertile ground for a fantastic satire, and while we may not get the scathing commentary that was well within reach with a story like this, we do manage to wrangle a very sweet, endearing comedy about two lonely people finding each other, not by chance but rather through the process of a formulated encounter, and come to an agreement that they’d become part of the other’s life, albeit only temporarily. Améris didn’t need to do too much with the premise to make it entertaining – the performances are strong enough to justify the film’s existence. Instead, what he does do (and what is one of the film’s most considerable strengths) is draw out the emotion from inherently humorous scenes, and vice versa. Most of the film is an oscillation between exuberant comedy and warmhearted drama, the combination being a deft but poignant blend of emotional content that sometimes veers towards becoming somewhat predictable (and often quite heavy-handed at moments), but never loses sight of the deep heartfulness that propels such a story forward. We’re drawn into this world, enticed into following the lives of these characters – and whether we’re there for the promise of a hilarious comedy-of-manners that follows the culture-clash comedy pattern, or are patiently waiting for the inevitable emotional beats that we know it is going to hit, Family for Rent is a lovable film that finds merit in places that many would not expect, which only makes it even more of a worthwhile film.

Family for Rent isn’t a complex film, nor is it one that redefines the art of storytelling. It’s also not very likely to be remembered for much longer than it appears on the viewer’s screen, since while it isn’t necessarily a forgettable film, it doesn’t lend itself to being all that memorable either. At its most essential definition, this film is firmly and squarely a middling comedy with some really heartfelt emotions at its centre. This sounds like a resignation to the mediocrity of the film, until we realize this is all it needed to be – there’s not much that can be said or done about this story outside of what we saw on screen. Perhaps a very different tonal and thematic approach could’ve been taken, which might have made Family for Rent a more meaningful film, but possibly at the expense of the sweet, endearing charms that reside firmly at the heart of the story. We know exactly where the story is heading, and the director was well-aware of the fact that we’re ultimately smart enough to see through the supposed twists and turns, and instead of trying to distract us from what is very much a predictable story, he instead goes about telling it in a way that is so endearing, it doesn’t even matter if we can anticipate every avenue it traverses. The sense of heart, and the emphasis on familial and romantic love is enough to propel the film forward, and it eventually becomes such an effervescent piece of filmmaking, it’s difficult to imagine even the most cynical of viewers not being at least partially charmed by this adorable film, which bolsters the idea of family meaning more than anything else, a useful reminder for anyone who may have forgotten to cherish everyone that means something to them.