Starbuck (2011)

Director:

Ken Scott

Writers:

Ken Scott and
Martin Petit

Release Date:

3 May 2012 (New Zealand)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

As his lover announces her pregnancy, a fortysomething slacker receives other life-changing news: 142 people, all of them the result of artificial insemination, have filed a class action lawsuit against him, their biological father.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Debt | Biological Father | Fertility Clinic | Profile

Awards:

10 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Patrick Huard	...	David Wozniak / Starbuck
Julie LeBreton	...	Valérie
Antoine Bertrand	...	Avocat
Dominic Philie	...	Frère sombre
Marc Bélanger	...	Frère sympathique
Igor Ovadis	...	Père de David
David Michael	...	Antoine (as David Michaël)
Patrick Martin	...	Étienne
David Giguère	...	Porte parole
Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse	...	Julie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Barry	...	Joueur de Soccer
Sebastien Beaulac	...	Homme de main
Patrick Caux	...	Voleur de stationnement
Catherine De Sève	...	Animatrice de bulletin de nouvelles
Patrick Labbé	...	Maître Chamberland
André Lanthier	...	Avocat adverse
Martin Petit	...	Éboueur
Félix-Antoine Tremblay	...	Marco, Sauveteur à la piscine
Camille Vanasse	...	Manicuriste

Directed by
Ken Scott

Writing credits
Ken Scott		and
Martin Petit

Produced by
Valérie d'Auteuil	....	associate producer
Jasmyrh Lemoine	....	producer
Danny Rossner	....	line producer
André Rouleau	....	producer

Original Music by
David Lafleche

Cinematography by
Pierre Gill		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Yvann Thibaudeau

Casting by
Pierre Pageau
Daniel Poisson

Art Direction by
Danielle Labrie

Set Decoration by
Elise de Blois

Costume Design by
Sharon Scott

Makeup Department
Chantal Bergeron	....	hair stylist
Marianne Bobet	....	assistant makeup artist
Kathy Kelso	....	key makeup artist
Magali Métivier	....	makeup artist
Martin Rivest	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Melany Bourgouin	....	post-production supervisor
Danny Rossner	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ariane Côté-Chénier	....	additional third assistant director
Etienne Didelot-Pothier	....	second third assistant director
Anne Sirois	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Dominique Brunel	....	property master
Pascale Deschênes	....	set dresser
Steve Louis	....	graphic designer
Jean-Francois Poupart	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Pierre-Jules Audet	....	supervising sound editor
Arnaud Derimay	....	sound recordist
Natalie Fleurant	....	adr supervisor
Bernard Gariépy Strobl	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fanny Dubois Nguyen	....	assistant foley artist
Jean-Philippe St-Laurent	....	dialogue editor

Stunts
Mike Chute	....	stunt coordinator
Alexandre Prefontaine	....	stunt double
Sébastien Rouleau	....	stunt actor

Camera and Electrical Department
David Dinel	....	key grip
Paul Duchesne	....	best boy grip
Jean-Francois Gingras	....	grip
Marie-Ève Gosselin	....	camera trainee
René Guillard	....	gaffer
John Harris	....	second lighting technician
Denis-Noel Mostert	....	steadicam operator
Jan Thijs	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Yan Duranceau	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Guillaume Girard	....	assistant editor
Marc Lussier	....	colorist
Arthur Montreuil	....	film timer

Music Department
Jasmyrh Lemoine	....	musical rights supervisor

Transportation Department
Dominic Prevost	....	driver: cast

Other crew
Rémi Fréchette	....	making-of
Joe Iacono	....	financial consultant and auditor
Jean-Patrick Joseph	....	special equipment supplier
Romain Kelfa	....	production assistant
Francine Lebrun	....	production coordinator
Benoît Mathieu	....	location manager
Christine Mercier	....	assistant to the producers
Stéphane Moraille	....	legal clearances
Matthew Oppenheimer	....	production assistant
Joshua Ravetch	....	production resources

Thanks
Bruno Rosato	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Caramel Film

Distributors

• First Distributors (2011) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Comstock Group (2013) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Diaphana Films (2012) (France) (theatrical)
• Entertainment One (2012) (USA) (theatrical)
• Entertainment One (2013) (USA) (theatrical)
• Films Christal, Les (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Imagine Films Distribution (2012) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Klock Worx Company, The (2013) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Luna Filmverleih GmbH (2012) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Seven Films - Spentzos Film (2012) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Signature Entertainment (2012) (UK) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2011) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2012) (Germany) (all media)
• Entertainment One (2012) (Australia) (all media)
• Entertainment One (2012) (Canada) (all media)
• Film1 (2013) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Signature Entertainment (2013) (UK) (DVD)
• Vértigo Films (2012) (Spain) (all media)

Other Companies

• Montreal Casting  extras casting
• Vantage Film  HAWK anamorphic lenses provided by
• Visual Motion  camera trucks and trailers provided by
• William F. White International  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug material

Runtime:

109 min | Canada:103 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

French | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | UK:15 | Japan:G | Ireland:15A | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Caramel Film

Goofs:

Factual errors: Among the newspapers from around the world with headlines about "Starbuck" is the Israeli daily paper Ha-Aretz. Though the headline and the articles are in Hebrew letters, they are full of mistakes and make absolutely no sense.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Delivery Man (2013)

Soundtrack:

Do Me

A Life-Changing Discovery: 533x Over!

I saw this French Canadian film on a KLM flight. I have not heard of it, and the title was not catchy, however when I read in the information that there will be an American version to be done, I became curious so I went on to watch it. I did not regret it.

For a movie that began with the uncomfortable scene of a guy donating sperm in a sperm bank. From such an inauspicious beginning, what unfolds is actually a heartwarming story of David Wozniak (Patrick Huard), a middle-aged man whose life of non-commitment changes radically when he discovers that he had actually fathered more than 500 kids via his multiple sperm donations done when he was a young man. When 143 of these kids file a class suit against the anonymous donor "Starbuck," will David reveal his secret identity? If he does, how will he face all of these newly-arisen paternal responsibilities?

Of course, there are scenes which may look cheesy for some, but viewed with the proper attitude without cynicism, these scenes are actually quite nice and even touching. Since David's kids are all young adults already with individual personalities and problems, his approach to each one would have to be different based on the situation each kid is in. The public controversy and discussion that arose when the news of the "Starbuck" case hit the tabloids is also very thought-provoking.

This film was an unexpected delight. It was good to know afterward that this movie actually received multiple nominations and even won awards at the Genie and various film festivals. I am glad I caught it before the American version. It would be interesting to compare the treatment of the story.