Starbuck *** (R) Despite the title, no coffee franchises are involved in the proceedings. This feelgood Canadian dramedy (mostly in French with subtitles) is a real treat. Starbuck is the nickname for David (Patrick Huard), who donated a vast supply of sperm to a fertility clinic during his college years. Twenty years later, he’s a good-natured, underachieving slacker, delivering for his father’s butcher shop, and deep in debt to some rather nasty fellows. He’s also on the verge of fatherhood with his girlfriend, who has plenty of doubts about his readiness for parenthood. Maturity and responsibility are not in his wheelhouse...if he has one, at all.
Those pressures are suddenly dwarfed by news that the clinic spread his seed so widely that he’d "fathered" 533 kids, of whom 142 were suing to void the clinic’s anonymity contracts and learn the identity of their biological progenitor. David panics. He’s too overwhelmed by the one on the way to face this horde of descendants. But he’s also curious. He starts following a few of them, trying to get acquainted without blowing his cover. He decides to keep going that way like a guardian angel tending to his flock.
What ensues is off-beat character comedy that works nicely, making an absurd situation entertaining and satisfying. Starbuck’s offspring are all in their late teens, with a broad range of talents, interests and issues. Huard becomes an endearing protagonist in the lovable loser tradition. His barely-licensed lawyer friend (Antoine Bertrand) adds a comedic dimension akin to the overmatched solicitor in the superb 1997 Australian charmer, The Castle. If you enjoyed that one, your odds for liking this one are quite favorable. (5/3/13)