Starbuck

This Canadian entry to the 2012 Seattle International Film Festival (this review was first posted May 7th, 2012) is a "crowd-pleaser," which is snide film-critic speak for "No betrayals, no angst, no slaughters, no misery," nothing that warms the cockles of the hearts of the artistes; just a laugh-filled time spent with a witty guy who just happened to make 533 deposits in a sperm bank (for quick cash) 20 years ago. (Wait until you figure out the reason he wanted the money!) Through a clerical error, the clinic used only his deposits for a year. (At the clinic, he went by "Starbuck" for anonymity.) 

Now middle-aged and completely oblivious to the clinic's old error, our hero is an over-grown adolescent, living with a lovely young police- woman who just found out she's pregnant. He drives a delivery truck for his father's butcher shop and mostly ignores all of his parking tickets and any temptation to grow up. Her news is NOT welcome.

Out of the blue, 142 of his offspring file a class-action lawsuit to meet their biological father. They include: a manicurist, a soccer player, a bartender, an actor, a drug addict, a busker, etc., etc., etc. They are male and female, gay and straight. One is institutionalized because he has cerebral palsy. Of course the press has a field day trying to uncover the mysterious "Starbuck."

We have:

• Patrick Huard ("Funkytown") is Starbuck, our lusty hero, who quietly starts tracking down some of his children and is surprised by what he finds.
• Antoine Bertrand ("The Necessities of Life") is his best friend, who is (almost) a lawyer and volunteers to defend him in court to keep his identity a secret.
• Julie LeBreton ("The Good Life") is that lovely pregnant police- woman, tired of being the only adult in the relationship.

We meet our hero's father and brothers, then we meet some of his other family, as curiosity gets the better of him and he anonymously gets acquainted with some of these young adults.

There are no betrayals, no gunshots, no car chases, no sweaty bodies and no blowie uppie stuff. What we have here folks, is wit, humanity, warmth, loyalty and love. In other words, Entertainment. (And English subtitles!)

The general release for this film was delayed because an American version is nearing completion. This film is already available on DVD. I know, because I own a copy!

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This trailer has English captions:
http://www.kino-zeit.de/filme/trailer/starbuck
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