Film Review: Hilarious ‘Starbuck’ Reinvents the Family Film

CHICAGO – “You’ll believe a man can have 533 children” might be a better tagline than, “You’ll believe a man can fly.” The extremely funny new Canadian film “Starbuck” will not only make you a true believer, but also loudly professes a romantic and gooey refrain that is sometimes necessary in a cold, cynical world.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Right off the bat, “Starbuck” is a really funny film, even in a movie universe burnt out by the definition of funny. It takes the absurdist premise that youthful donations to a fertility clinic results in several hundred children, and riffs on it until virtually any commentary in the film regarding it produces a good laugh. It is also eventually and unabashedly sentimental about the whole scenario, and that might be a bit cloying, but the film earns the right by setting up the laughs beforehand. For hilarity and heart, this is the movie choice to represent the spring season of renewal.

David (Patrick Huard) is a hard luck loser. At 42 years old, he has several failed business ventures and is 80,000 dollars in debt, plus he is threatened by those debt collectors and forced back as a delivery driver in his father’s meat-packing business. Even the simplest of tasks, getting soccer jerseys for his club team, is beyond the realm of his limited attention span. His on-and-off again girlfriend, Valérie (Julie LeBreton), also informs his that she is pregnant with his child, which leads to another round of sad sack destiny.

The world turns upside down when a lawyer informs David that he is being sued in class action suit to reveal his identity. It seems that he made several deposits in a sperm bank 22 years earlier, and the “strength” of his baby juice led the unscrupulous clinic to use it for hundreds of clients. Of the 533 successful births that came out of him, 142 are suing to find out his identity, behind the ironic nickname he had submitted for himself, “Starbuck.” His hapless lawyer friend Avocat (Antoine Bertrand) takes up his defense, and his life and the lives involved are about to be significantly changed as a result.

“Starbuck” continues its limited release in Chicago on March 29th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Patrick Huard, Julie LeBreton, Antoine Bertrand and Patrick Martin. Written by Ken Scott and Martin Petit. Directed by Ken Scott. Rated “R”