Starbuck 
Starring: Patrick Huard, Julie LeBrentin, Antoine Bertrand
Directed by Ken Scott
Rated: R
Run Time: 109 mins
Genre: Comedy
Opens April 12th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film Fans! Opening this week as a Harkins Exclusive is the comedy “Starbuck” directed by Ken Scott. Later this year the remake starring Vince Vaughn will be released so it will be interesting if the other film can capture the same essence that “Starbuck” has.
When David Wozniak (Patrick Huard) finds himself over $80,000 in debt, he's at a loss on how to get the money. As a young man, he was able to go make deposits at the local sperm bank for cash, but now, that's certainly not an option. To add to his stress level, he is being called to court by a group of people that are claiming to be his offspring. Over a course of 23 months, David deposited over 683 “donations” resulting in over 533 children born from artificial insemination. Not knowing where to turn, David seeks legal advice from his childhood friend Avocat (Antoine Bertrand) who is looking for a case to get back in the game.
From the opposing legal counsel for the Sperm Bank, David was given a packet of the now adult children of Starbuck that wished to know his real identity. As he sorts through the profiles, David decides to embark and see how his offspring fair in the world as he’s been a non-functioning man-child for the majority of his life. As he meets some of the “children”, David is torn between doing what is right, wanting to have or not have a relationship with these people and getting his life back on track with his girlfriend Valérie (Julie LeBrenton).
Never has there been a movie about masturbation, idiocy and artificial insemination that has been done with such grace and humor. While the movie is entirely spoken in French with English subtitles, the humor is not lost in translation. What could come off as absurd and distasteful is quite hilarious in the way the story flows. The characters are well written, the situations David/Starbuck finds himself in are hilarious, and the attempt at redemption is charming and endearing. Be sure to check out Starbuck when it opens at Harkins Camelview starting Friday April 12, 2013.
