Starbuck (Ken Scott, 2011): France

Reviewed by Jesse Deason. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2012.

Where can I begin with this amazing film? Let me start by getting this out of the way. I had the privilege of being able to see over twenty films at the 2012 Santa Barbara film festival, many of which impacted me profoundly. That being said,” “Starbuck” was far and away my favorite feature film of the entire festival.

I read the review about a 42 year old guy named David. Now our David personifies irresponsibility and immaturity with a charm that is very funny and endearing. The first scene of the film shows a young David escorted into a little room by a nurse and provided with several pornographic magazines and a cup. Apparently in his twenties, David was living next to a fertility clinic and supplemented his income to the tune of over $20,000 by providing an extraordinarily large amount of his future boys and girls to the clinics reserves. This is the only scene not appropriate for young audiences, even though it’s shown in a very funny way. For unspecified reasons, we’re told of the clinic’s shortage of viable samples, therefore leaving it up to his supply to father 533 children, 142 of whom file a class action lawsuit to determine the actual identity of their biological father known to them only by his pseudonym, “Starbuck”. What starts out as a laugh-out-loud comedy turns into an incredibly touching film that maintains clever timing and sharp humor throughout.

One of the earmarks for me when watching a foreign film with subtitles is how quickly I forget I’m reading, which is exactly what happens here. I can’t speak a lick of French, but  felt like it was my first language within ten minutes of watching. The acting is amazing. Granted, the writing was phenomenal, but the performances across the board were spot on with the delivery and timing that makes good comedy so incredibly difficult.

Again I find myself at a loss for first hand information on a film I was completely sucked into. My notes were practically worthless as I was drawn so completely into the magic of the story. I looked at what I wrote down, and other than jotting down “great personality to the picture” and “clever timing”, I have three references to how touching it is. This film has received glowing reviews across the board for good reasons. There’s a multi-generational appeal to this movie that both young and old will connect with. The performances show deliciously flawed characters that make them instantly relateable. It flirted with being a little cheesy at the end, but called itself on it just in time. A must see!