Starbuck

Writer/Director Ken Scott’s Starbuck may not win any “best film” awards, but it’s hard to think of one that can beat it for “heart.”

This is a coming-of-age story about a 40-something Polish-Canadian David Wozniak (Patrick Huard), a lovable loser, who is $80,000 in debt to loan sharks, can’t grow healthy pot plants in his apartment and has just found out his cop girlfriend (Julie LeBreton) is pregnant.

But that’s not the worst thing in David’s life.  It turns out that in the period of the ‘80s/’90s, he donated sperm to a clinic over 600 times and, now, finds out that his semen was used in 533 successful births and the anonymity of his sobriquet Starbuck is being challenged in a class-action suit by 142 of those offspring.

Against the advice of his would-be lawyer friend (Antoine Bertrand), David decides to, surreptitiously, see one of the offspring, who turns out to a star soccer player.  Of course, just like potato chips, you can’t just stop at one, so David continues to meet several of these millennials until he, accidentally, ends up at a rally being held by the entire 142. 

 If you can walk out of this film without feeling uplifted and/or with a tear in your eye, you definitely need help.

Though this French-Canadian film will probably not have much distribution in theaters, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it on Netflix.   See it and embrace the strength of family.

I give Starbuck a 4 out of 5.