MINI-REVIEW: Starbuck

MOVIE
Starbuck

CAST
Patrick Huard, Julie Le Broton

RATING
R

RELEASE
March 22, 2013

DIRECTOR
Ken Scott

STUDIO
Entertainment One

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 49 minutes






STARS
***1/2





REVIEW:

There is a huge fascination in sperm these days, and why wouldn't there be? The male reproductive "juice" has been the subject of a bunch of recent movies, like 'The Switch' and 'The Babymakers' for example.  However there hasn't been a "sperm" movie to come around that makes audiences relate to and laugh at their main protagonist.  Now comes 'Starbuck,' a French-Canadian comedy that's just making its way to the US after opening in other parts of the world in 2011.  An English remake starring Vince Vaughn is being released this October, which can explain why Entertainment One wanted to finally take this film off its international shelf and bring it to us Americans.  Chances are that not a lot of people will find this movie in their local theater, since this is getting a pretty minuscule release.  For those who are able to find this movie, though, chances are they will really enjoy it.  The film is a funny, sweet, and charming movie about the love one can give to their children, regardless of the amount of children had.

Dave Wozniak hasn't really done anything productive with his forty-something life.  He has the easiest job at his father's butcher shop, and yet he can't even get that job done in time.  When his girlfriend announces she's pregnant, however, he decides that he wants to reshape his life to prove that he's capable of raising a child.  Little does Dave know that his life is soon going to change.  A lawyer pops into his trashy apartment one day and says that, due to his constant sperm donations over a two year period, he has fathered 533 children.  No no, you actually read that correctly: 533 children.  You see, in a two year period, Dave turned to sperm donating as a quick way to make money, for which he made nearly $25,000 for his countless donations under the alias name "Starbuck."  So there was a period at the sperm bank where they only had "Starbuck's" sperm, so that's what they could only use.  And of these 533 children, 142 of them want to create a lawsuit against their biological father, unless he reveals his true identity.  But let's face it: how would anyone's girlfriend feel if they found out that their fiancé has over 500 babies without her?

Believe it or not, 'Starbuck' is not as raunchy as one might expect it to be with its premise.  Sure the first scene of the film involves Dave, um, "making" the juice, but that's really the worst it gets.  The film overall is a sweet and funny comedy with a lot of heart thrown in, as well as a great performance from Patrick Huard.  The characters are likable for the most part, the script is fresh and witty, and it makes one wonder how somebody can care for all of their children equally.  I'm very interested in seeing the American remake of this movie, as it will probably be just as or less good than this.  That's not a bad thing at all, it's just what happens with American remakes of foreign movies.  Overall, aside from a predictable ending and some overly melodramatic moments, 'Starbuck' is a quirky, witty, and fresh French-Canadian comedy that deserves all of the praise it's gotten from everywhere else in the world.