How Many Kids Is Enough?

 

 

Starbuck

 

Stars: Patrick Huard, Julie LeBreton, Antoine Bertrand and Igor Ovadio

Director/ Scriptwriter: Ken Scott

French Language--Subtitled

Caramel Films

Rating: R

Running Length: 110 minutes

 

Starbuck is the name of an anonymous man who fathered over 500 children by being a sperm donor. Based on his true story, we also see that in years to come, 150 of the children file a class action suit to meet their "father." What to do? Patruck Huard, looking like Bradley Cooper twenty years from now, is Starbuck a.k.a. David Wozniak, a Polish butcher, who is partners with his father (Igor Ovadio) and brothers in a meat store. Starbuck is a gentle comedy, providing laughs at unexpected places and having us meet actor Antoine Bertrand as David's lawyer, who steals the show.

 

The film begins with a college-age David earning money donating sperm. Years later, his life is just average and he is undependable and always falling into one situation after another, like a proverbial bull in a china shop.  Girlfriend Valerie (Julie LeBreton) is getting tired of him, though she finds herself pregnant and decides to keep the child.  This is when "Starbuck" learns of the class action suit and panic settles in.  His attorney/friend defends him and the point is privacy of the individual.  The clinic had no business releasing the code name of "Starbuck" and now everyone wants to know who he is.

 

Anonymously, David finds out names of his children and visits them, finding out their situations and even guiding them. If only this could go on forever, but it doesn't.

 

Some of the humorous moments include David stalking his children to get to know their ways before he anonymously enters their lives. The guy is no P. I. Also, his attorney, who could go on for hours about disliking children, is a big soft bear with his four and lets them crawl all over him, even sleeping in a sandbox to be near Dad.

 

Another story concerns David and the relationship with his family. They see him as a loser and David is continually hiding out from creditors who are not gentle. A meat truck becomes the vehicle of choice for driving. Nothing obvious here.

 

Acting is well done with Patrick Huard's body language and facial expressions in tune with the situations he is in. All the kids are presented in a good light and the glow of parenthood, no matter how you describe it, is happily there. This is really a gentle film about decisions, consequences, searches and love. Just right for Father's Day.

 

 

Copyright 2013 Marie Asner

 

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