Plot
As his lover announces her pregnancy, a fortysomething slacker receives other life-changing news: 142 people, all of them the result of artificial insemination, have filed a class action lawsuit against him, their biological father.
Release Year: 2011
Rating: 7.2/10 (4,454 voted)
Director:Ken Scott
Storyline
At 42, David lives the life of an irresponsible adolescent. He coasts through life with minimal effort and maintains a complicated relationship with Valerie, a young policewoman. Just as she tells him she's pregnant, David's past resurfaces. Twenty years earlier, he began providing sperm to a fertility clinic in exchange for money. He discovers he's the father of 533 children, 142 of whom have filed a class action lawsuit to determine the identity of their biological father, known only by the pseudonym Starbuck.
David Wozniack has quite the problem. As a man who doesn't have many
responsibilities aside from driving his dad's delivery truck for the
butcher shop, he's the father of 533 children. He's got commitment
issues with his girlfriend, and gets ragged on for not being dependable
enough. So how did this happen?
All the children were conceived thanks to his donations to the
fertility clinic, registered under 'Starbuck' - and it's twenty years
later - 142 of the kids want to know his identity. Class action lawsuit
time!
I heard about this premise from a friend, and it sounded absolutely
hilarious. What would anyone even do in this situation? It's absurd! I
went in, expecting plenty of laughs, but walked out with a genuine love
for this film. It's a wonderful surprise. What could have been a mere
gimmick for comedy turned out to be a starting point for something much
more. When we first see David, he isn't doing well. Nothing is expected
of him, he seems to be a disappointment with everyone he knows, except
for his best friend, and the news of this children can only be a
headache. However, he decides to take a more active approach and gets
to know his children, as scary as the idea seems. One step at a time,
one child at a time. The result is an effective mix of silly and sweet,
some great lines, and genuine emotion.
I don't think this film will get a wide a distribution as it deserves,
which is a real shame. I suspect the fact that it being in French will
deter some audience members from the film. Personally, I saw it with
subs and it wasn't hard to follow. It's well worth the effort to do a
bit of reading. Starbuck has piqued my interest to see more Canadian
films in hopes of more gems like this one. All I can do is spread the
word, and hopefully the word of mouth will help it along. This film is
a crowd-pleaser and I was caught between laughing and crying during
some parts, I can't praise it enough. Give it a chance if it happens to
be playing your local theatre - it might just blow you away!
A very refreshing film. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing it again in
theatres.
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