Friday, April 5, 2013

Starbuck (***)

This light- to middleweight French-Canadian import (set for a Hollywood remake) follows a happy-go-lucky meat delivery man (Patrick Huard) whose easy-spending ways are about to catch up with him. At the same time, so are some of the 533 children, now young adults, that he fathered via sperm donations with the code name Starbuck. They’re threatening to sue to learn his identity even as his girlfriend, having conceived with him the natural way, wants him to remain anonymous while she raises the child alone.

Clearly, some life changes are in order. Starbuck, aka David, doesn’t want to become an instant father to hundreds, yet can’t resist seeing what his progeny are up to. (His employment in the family business and previous allowances for incompetency allows him plenty of free time.) A likeable lead. lack of heavy-handed moralizing, and mild but consistent humor overcome the shortcomings of the plot. (E.g., his lawyer/best friend urges him to use an insanity defense, but for what crime?)

IMDb link

viewed 4/17/13 7:25 pm at Ritz 5 and reviewed 4/17/13

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