4/5 stars

Every so often, we hear some news story about a couple that has seemingly achieved the impossible and managed to birth children in unfathomable numbers. Such tales make us wonder about the abilities of science, the conquerable limits of the human body and the sheer responsibility that follows that level of reproduction. Now imagine what it would be like if that number was in the hundreds. The catch, however, is that none of those children know who you are. That is the dilemma David (Patrick Huard) faces in the movie Starbuck.

Taking place in Quebec and written in French, Starbuck (directed by Ken Scott) is about David’s dismal life. David is a middle-aged deliveryman with a serious case of man-child syndrome. Irresponsible and immature, he is constantly looking for some get-rich-quick scheme, such as growing weed in his apartment so that he can settle his debt with some thugs. David’s life is thrown into further disarray when his past catches up with him and he is informed that, due to a mix-up at a clinic, the sperm he donated almost two decades ago have been used to father 533 children. Out of that number, 142 have joined together in lawsuit to try and reveal the identity of the mysterious donor, known only by his alias, Starbuck.

The film follows David’s attempts to face the consequences of his actions as he struggles with the dilemma of whether or not to keep his identity a secret. The heart and humor of this movie rests in the various attempts David makes at trying to get closer with his many offspring without being too conspicuous. Sometimes, the attempts are heartwarming; other times, they are borderline absurdist. For example, David tries to connect with one of his daughters, Julie (Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse), by disguising himself as a pizza deliveryman who refuses to leave until he figures out why she is upset, claiming that the pizza company cares a lot about their customers’ emotional well-being.

While Huard is able to bring humor to this movie, what was most enjoyable was seeing him portray a character who was genuinely trying to better his life. Complementing Huard’s performance is Antoine Bertrand, who plays David’s friend and lawyer, Avocat. Avocat’s humor almost always manages to bring laughs and steal the scene. The film, however, would be nothing without the children themselves. The variety of young actors (David Michael, Patrick Martin, Sébastien Rene) employed to play a few of the offspring bring life to each character.

The script, written by Martin Petit and Scott, strikes a good balance between comedy, drama and heart. While the movie is certainly a sweet one that explores the virtues of family, some scenes involving group hugs and camping trips are borderline diabetes-inducing. While I applaud the writers for focusing on the personal challenges that David faces, it would have been appreciated if the case were given a little bit more attention through the film.

Overall, this movie is a must-see. While hopefully none of us will find ourselves in the same position as David, Starbuck still imparts important lessons regarding family. Although an American version of the film is in the works for those apprehensive about watching films with subtitles, I  recommend seeing the funny original.