Starbuck

Ken Scott's French Canadian comedy tries to be sweet in a naughty sort of way—serving up a quirky modern fable of redemption through parenthood. Beefy Patrick Huard stars as David, a supposedly charming rogue deeply in debt to his bookie. During his younger days, David was a champion sperm donor, making more than six hundred contributions to the bank under the pseudonym of Starbuck. David's semen proved extraordinarily fertile, resulting in the birth of over five hundred offspring. Now, more than a hundred of them are suing the clinic, trying to force the institution to reveal the identity of their biological father. Most of Starbuck is devoted to David's change of heart as he surreptitiously looks up his “kids” even while going to court, via a lawyer pal, to argue against disclosing his name. To complicate matters further, David's girlfriend is pregnant. Not much surprise about how this will all end, as it's inevitable that David will finally discover a sense of responsibility and bond with his multitudinous progeny. But the effect is less warmhearted than mawkish. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include deleted scenes (9 min.), an interview with director Ken Scott (7 min.), an interview with star Patrick Huard (6 min.), bloopers (7 min.), the music video “L'atelier” by David Giguère, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)