Jump to content

Starbuck (film): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
spell out
No edit summary
(34 intermediate revisions by 27 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|2011 film directed by Ken Scott}}
{{Short description|2011 film directed by Ken Scott}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Starbuck
| name = Starbuck
| image = Starbuck.jpg
| image = Starbuck.jpg

| image_size = 220px
| border = yes
| alt =
| alt =
| director = [[Ken Scott (writer)|Ken Scott]]
| director = [[Ken Scott (filmmaker)|Ken Scott]]
| producer = André Rouleau
| producer = André Rouleau
| writer = [[Martin Petit]]<br />Ken Scott
| writer = [[Martin Petit]]<br />Ken Scott
| starring = [[Patrick Huard]]<br />[[Antoine Bertrand]]<br />[[Julie LeBreton]]
| starring = [[Patrick Huard]]<br />[[Antoine Bertrand]]<br />[[Julie Le Breton]]
| music = David Lafleche
| music = David Lafleche
| cinematography = [[Pierre Gill]]
| cinematography = [[Pierre Gill]]
| editing = Yvann Thibaudeau
| editing = [[Yvann Thibaudeau]]
| studio = Caramel Film
| studio = Caramel Film
| distributor = Les Films Christal {{small|(Canada)}}<br />[[Entertainment One]] {{small|(US)}}
| distributor = [[Les Films Christal]]
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2011|07|27|Quebec|2011|09|14|[[2011 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]}}
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2011|07|27|Quebec|2011|09|14|[[2011 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]}}
| runtime = 109 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 109:05--><ref>{{cite web|title=''STARBUCK'' (15)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/starbuck-2012-0|work=Signature Entertainment|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=5 October 2012|accessdate=13 September 2013}}</ref>
| runtime = 109 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 109:05--><ref>{{cite web|title=''STARBUCK'' (15)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/starbuck-2012-0|work=Signature Entertainment|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=5 October 2012|accessdate=13 September 2013}}</ref>
| country = Canada
| country = Canada
| language = French
| language = French<br>Spanish
| budget =
| budget =
| gross = US$5,117,936 (Worldwide)<ref>{{cite web|title=''Starbuck'' (U.S. only) (2013) – International Box Office Results|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=starbuck.htm|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|publisher=[[Amazon.com]]|accessdate=14 September 2013}}</ref><!--This gross comes from adding US domestic, Canadian, and then the "total foreign" grosses provided by the main BOM page.-->
| gross = US$5,117,936 (Worldwide)<ref>{{cite web|title=''Starbuck'' (U.S. only) (2013) – International Box Office Results|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=starbuck.htm|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|publisher=[[Amazon.com]]|accessdate=14 September 2013}}</ref><!--This gross comes from adding US domestic, Canadian, and then the "total foreign" grosses provided by the main BOM page.-->
}}
}}

'''''Starbuck''''' is a 2011 [[Cinema of Quebec|Canadian]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Ken Scott (writer)|Ken Scott]] and written by Scott and [[Martin Petit]].<ref>{{cite book |title=International Film Guide 2012 |first=Ian Hayden |last=Smith |year= 2012 |isbn= 978-1908215017 |page= 84 }}</ref> It stars [[Patrick Huard]] (''[[Bon Cop, Bad Cop]]''), [[Antoine Bertrand]], and [[Julie LeBreton]] as the main character, his friend/lawyer, and his girlfriend, respectively.
'''''Starbuck''''' is a 2011 [[Cinema of Quebec|Canadian]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Ken Scott (filmmaker)|Ken Scott]] and written by Scott and [[Martin Petit]].<ref>{{cite book |title=International Film Guide 2012 |first=Ian Hayden |last=Smith |year= 2012 |isbn= 978-1908215017 |page= 84 |publisher=Tantivy Press }}</ref> It stars [[Patrick Huard]] (''[[Bon Cop, Bad Cop]]'') as the main character, [[Antoine Bertrand]] as his friend/lawyer, and [[Julie Le Breton]] as his girlfriend.


The film's title refers to a Canadian [[Holstein cattle|Holstein]] bull, named Hanoverhill Starbuck, who produced hundreds of thousands of progeny by artificial insemination in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="kelly">{{cite news |url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Fertile+premise+delivers+laughs+insight+into+fatherhood/5164012/story.html |title=Fertile premise delivers laughs – and insight into fatherhood |last=Kelly |first=Brendan |date=27 July 2011 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |accessdate=10 August 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>
The film's title refers to a Canadian [[Holstein cattle|Holstein]] bull, named Hanoverhill Starbuck, who produced hundreds of thousands of progeny by artificial insemination in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="kelly">{{cite news |url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Fertile+premise+delivers+laughs+insight+into+fatherhood/5164012/story.html |title=Fertile premise delivers laughs – and insight into fatherhood |last=Kelly |first=Brendan |date=27 July 2011 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |accessdate=10 August 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==
In a 1988 prologue, David Wozniak is at a Quebec [[sperm bank]] making a donation. Twenty-three years later, in 2011, he is a hapless deliveryman for his family's butcher shop, pursued by thugs whom he owes $80,000. His girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child. One day, David returns from work to find a lawyer from the sperm bank who tells him he has fathered 533 children. Of those, 142 have joined a [[class action]] lawsuit to force the fertility clinic to reveal the identity of "Starbuck", the [[pseudonym|alias]] he used as a sperm donor.
In a 1988 prologue, David Wozniak is at a Quebec [[sperm bank]] making a donation. Twenty-three years later, in 2011, he is a hapless deliveryman for his family's butcher shop, pursued by thugs to whom he owes $80,000. His girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child. One day, David returns from work to find a lawyer from the sperm bank who tells him he has fathered 533 children. Of those, 142 have joined a [[class action]] lawsuit to force the fertility clinic to reveal the identity of "Starbuck", the [[pseudonym|alias]] he used as a sperm donor.


David's friend and lawyer represents him as he tries to keep the [[Record sealing|records sealed]]. He provides David with profiles of each party to the lawsuit: David tracks down several of them, finding moments for providing help or encouragement. One is a severely disabled young man he visits in an institution. At one point, tailing one of them, David finds himself at a meeting of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against him. David decides to identify himself, but after the thugs assault his father, he agrees with his lawyer to sue the sperm bank for damages. He wins the lawsuit, receives $200,000, and keeps his identity secret.
David's friend and lawyer represents him as he tries to keep the [[Record sealing|records sealed]]. He provides David with profiles of each party to the lawsuit: David tracks down several of them, finding moments for providing help or encouragement. One is a severely disabled young man he visits in an institution. At one point, tailing one of them, David finds himself at a meeting of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against him. David decides to identify himself, but after the thugs assault his father, he agrees with his lawyer to sue the sperm bank for damages. He wins the lawsuit, receives $200,000, and keeps his identity secret.


David has regrets, but his lawyer advises him that revealing his identity would require him to return the money he won from the lawsuit. After his father gives him his share of the family business so he can pay off his debt, David sends an e-mail identifying himself to the media. He goes to Valerie's house as she is going into premature labour. At the hospital, his baby is born, he proposes to Valerie, and many of the children show up to see him.
David has regrets, but his lawyer advises him that revealing his identity would require him to return the money he won from the lawsuit. After his father gives him his share of the family business so he can pay off his debt, David sends an e-mail identifying himself to the media. He goes to Valerie's house as she is going into premature labour. At the hospital, his baby is born, he proposes to Valerie, and many of the children show up to see him.

==Inspiration==
The theme of the movie may have been inspired by the 2011 revelation that an anonymous U.S. donor was found to have fathered at least 150 children.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06donor.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 One Sperm Donor, 150 Offspring]</ref> Few people are known with more children among [[List of people with the most children|the people with the most children]].


==Cast==
==Cast==
* [[Patrick Huard]] as David Wozniak/Starbuck
* [[Patrick Huard]] as David Wozniak/Starbuck
* [[Antoine Bertrand]] as David's lawyer
* [[Antoine Bertrand]] as David's lawyer
* [[Julie LeBreton]] as Valérie
* [[Julie Le Breton]] as Valérie
* [[Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse]] as Julie
* [[Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse]] as Julie
* Igor Ovadis as David's father, an immigrant from Poland.<ref name="kelly"/>
* Igor Ovadis as David's father, an immigrant from Poland.<ref name="kelly"/>
Line 50: Line 47:


==Reception==
==Reception==
''Starbuck'' was screened at the [[2011 Toronto International Film Festival]] on 14–15 September 2011,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/starbuck |title=Starbuck, Ken Scott: Gala Presentations |work= |publisher=Toronto International Film Festival |date=September 2011 |accessdate=18 September 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923201723/http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/starbuck |archivedate=23 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> where it was runner-up for the People's Choice Award.<ref name="reelsho"/> It was chosen "Most Popular Canadian Film" at the [[2011 Vancouver International Film Festival]].<ref name="reelsho">{{cite web| url= http://reelshorts.ca/2011/11/starbuck-is-a-crowd-pleasing-comedy-from-quebec/ |title=Starbuck is a crowd-pleasing comedy from Quebec | date=22 November 2011 | publisher=reelshorts.ca| accessdate=18 April 2013}}</ref>
''Starbuck'' was screened at the [[2011 Toronto International Film Festival]] on 14–15 September 2011,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/starbuck |title=Starbuck, Ken Scott: Gala Presentations |publisher=Toronto International Film Festival |date=September 2011 |access-date=18 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923201723/http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/starbuck |archive-date=23 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> where it was runner-up for the People's Choice Award.<ref name="reelsho"/> It was chosen "Most Popular Canadian Film" at the 2011 [[Vancouver International Film Festival]].<ref name="reelsho">{{cite web| url= http://reelshorts.ca/2011/11/starbuck-is-a-crowd-pleasing-comedy-from-quebec/ |title=Starbuck is a crowd-pleasing comedy from Quebec | date=22 November 2011 | publisher=reelshorts.ca| accessdate=18 April 2013}}</ref>

In September 2011, Chris Knight, the chief film critic for the ''[[National Post]]'', called it a "sparkling crowd-pleaser" based on a "ludicrous premise, sure. But Scott's pithy script (co-written by Martin Petit), linked to Huard's likeable layabout, makes the whole thing as easy to take as candy from a baby."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/09/22/film-review-starbuck-3-5-stars/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629233220/http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/09/22/film-review-starbuck-3-5-stars/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2013 |title=Film Review: Starbuck (3.5 stars) |first=Chris |last=Knight |date=22 September 2011 |publisher=[[National Post]] |access-date=18 April 2013 }}</ref>


In September 2011, Chris Knight, the chief film critic for the ''[[National Post]]'', called it a "sparkling crowd-pleaser" based on a "ludicrous premise, sure. But Scott's pithy script (co-written by Martin Petit), linked to Huard's likeable layabout, makes the whole thing as easy to take as candy from a baby."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/09/22/film-review-starbuck-3-5-stars/ |archive-url=https://archive.is/20130629233220/http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/09/22/film-review-starbuck-3-5-stars/ |dead-url=yes |archive-date=29 June 2013 |title=Film Review: Starbuck (3.5 stars) |first=Chris |last=Knight |date=22 September 2011 |publisher=[[National Post]] |accessdate=18 April 2013 }}</ref>
Upon its November 2012 UK release, [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave it two stars out of five, and called it a "lame comedy-drama" that loses "almost all the charm of the real story...through the contrivances and overacting."<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/22/starbuck-review |title=Film Review: Starbuck (3.5 stars) | first=Peter |last=Bradshaw| authorlink= Peter Bradshaw| date=22 November 2012 | work=[[The Guardian]]| accessdate=18 April 2013}}</ref>


In 2023, Barry Hertz of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' named the film as one of the 23 best Canadian comedy films ever made.<ref>Barry Hertz, [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-best-canadian-comedies/ "The 23 best Canadian comedies ever made"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', June 28, 2023.</ref>
Upon its November 2012 UK release, [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave it two stars out of five, and called it a "lame comedy-drama" that loses "almost all the charm of the real story...through the contrivances and overacting."<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/22/starbuck-review |title=Film Review: Starbuck (3.5 stars) | first=Peter |last=Bradshaw| authorlink= Peter Bradshaw| date=22 November 2012 | publisher=[[The Guardian]]| accessdate=18 April 2013}}</ref>


===Box office===
===Box office===
The film was the most successful [[Quebec]]-made film within the [[Province (Canada)|province]] in 2011, bringing in $3,399,338 in box office revenue for the year.<ref name="Massé">{{cite news |url=http://moncinema.cyberpresse.ca/nouvelles-et-critiques/nouvelles/nouvelle-cinema/16358-istarbucki-renaitra-en-inde.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108093314/http://moncinema.cyberpresse.ca/nouvelles-et-critiques/nouvelles/nouvelle-cinema/16358-iStarbucki-renaitra-en-Inde.html |dead-url=yes |archive-date=8 January 2012 |title=Starbuck renaîtra en Inde (Starbuck is reborn in India) |last=Massé |first=Isabelle |date=4 January 2012 |newspaper=La Presse |accessdate=19 February 2012 }}</ref>
The film was the most successful [[Quebec]]-made film within the [[Province (Canada)|province]] in 2011, bringing in $3,399,338 in box office revenue for the year.<ref name="Massé">{{cite news |url=http://moncinema.cyberpresse.ca/nouvelles-et-critiques/nouvelles/nouvelle-cinema/16358-istarbucki-renaitra-en-inde.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108093314/http://moncinema.cyberpresse.ca/nouvelles-et-critiques/nouvelles/nouvelle-cinema/16358-iStarbucki-renaitra-en-Inde.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 January 2012 |title=Starbuck renaîtra en Inde (Starbuck is reborn in India) |last=Massé |first=Isabelle |date=4 January 2012 |newspaper=La Presse |access-date=19 February 2012 }}</ref>


==Remakes==
==Remakes==
Line 68: Line 67:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.starbuck-lefilm.com/accueil.php}} (France)
* {{IMDb title|1756750|Starbuck}}
* {{IMDb title|1756750|Starbuck}}
* {{mojo title|starbuck|Starbuck}}
* {{mojo title|starbuck|Starbuck}}
* {{metacritic film|starbuck|Starbuck}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Starbuck}}


{{Ken Scott}}
{{Ken Scott}}
Line 77: Line 75:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starbuck}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starbuck}}
[[Category:2011 films]]
[[Category:2011 films]]
[[Category:2010s comedy films]]
[[Category:2011 comedy films]]
⚫
[[Category:Canadian films]]
[[Category:Canadian comedy films]]
[[Category:Canadian comedy films]]
⚫
[[Category:French-language films]]
⚫
[[Category:Spanish-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ken Scott]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ken Scott]]
[[Category:Films set in Montreal]]
[[Category:Films set in Montreal]]
Line 88: Line 83:
[[Category:Films shot in Montreal]]
[[Category:Films shot in Montreal]]
[[Category:Canadian independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian independent films]]
[[Category:Sperm donation]]
[[Category:Films about sperm donation]]
[[Category:French-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:Spanish-language Canadian films]]
⚫
[[Category:2010s Canadian films]]
[[Category:Canadian pregnancy films]]
[[Category:2011 multilingual films]]
⚫
[[Category:2010s French-language films]]
⚫
[[Category:2010s Spanish-language films]]
[[Category:2011 independent films]]
[[Category:Canadian multilingual films]]

Revision as of 02:37, 28 December 2024

Starbuck
Directed byKen Scott
Written byMartin Petit
Ken Scott
Produced byAndré Rouleau
StarringPatrick Huard
Antoine Bertrand
Julie Le Breton
CinematographyPierre Gill
Edited byYvann Thibaudeau
Music byDavid Lafleche
Production
company
Caramel Film
Distributed byLes Films Christal
Release dates
  • 27 July 2011 (2011-07-27) (Quebec)
  • 14 September 2011 (2011-09-14) (TIFF)
Running time
109 minutes[1]
CountryCanada
LanguagesFrench
Spanish
Box officeUS$5,117,936 (Worldwide)[2]

Starbuck is a 2011 Canadian comedy film directed by Ken Scott and written by Scott and Martin Petit.[3] It stars Patrick Huard (Bon Cop, Bad Cop) as the main character, Antoine Bertrand as his friend/lawyer, and Julie Le Breton as his girlfriend.

The film's title refers to a Canadian Holstein bull, named Hanoverhill Starbuck, who produced hundreds of thousands of progeny by artificial insemination in the 1980s and 1990s.[4]

Plot

In a 1988 prologue, David Wozniak is at a Quebec sperm bank making a donation. Twenty-three years later, in 2011, he is a hapless deliveryman for his family's butcher shop, pursued by thugs to whom he owes $80,000. His girlfriend Valérie is pregnant with his child. One day, David returns from work to find a lawyer from the sperm bank who tells him he has fathered 533 children. Of those, 142 have joined a class action lawsuit to force the fertility clinic to reveal the identity of "Starbuck", the alias he used as a sperm donor.

David's friend and lawyer represents him as he tries to keep the records sealed. He provides David with profiles of each party to the lawsuit: David tracks down several of them, finding moments for providing help or encouragement. One is a severely disabled young man he visits in an institution. At one point, tailing one of them, David finds himself at a meeting of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against him. David decides to identify himself, but after the thugs assault his father, he agrees with his lawyer to sue the sperm bank for damages. He wins the lawsuit, receives $200,000, and keeps his identity secret.

David has regrets, but his lawyer advises him that revealing his identity would require him to return the money he won from the lawsuit. After his father gives him his share of the family business so he can pay off his debt, David sends an e-mail identifying himself to the media. He goes to Valerie's house as she is going into premature labour. At the hospital, his baby is born, he proposes to Valerie, and many of the children show up to see him.

Cast

Reception

Starbuck was screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on 14–15 September 2011,[5] where it was runner-up for the People's Choice Award.[6] It was chosen "Most Popular Canadian Film" at the 2011 Vancouver International Film Festival.[6]

In September 2011, Chris Knight, the chief film critic for the National Post, called it a "sparkling crowd-pleaser" based on a "ludicrous premise, sure. But Scott's pithy script (co-written by Martin Petit), linked to Huard's likeable layabout, makes the whole thing as easy to take as candy from a baby."[7]

Upon its November 2012 UK release, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it two stars out of five, and called it a "lame comedy-drama" that loses "almost all the charm of the real story...through the contrivances and overacting."[8]

In 2023, Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail named the film as one of the 23 best Canadian comedy films ever made.[9]

Box office

The film was the most successful Quebec-made film within the province in 2011, bringing in $3,399,338 in box office revenue for the year.[10]

Remakes

A French remake, Fonzy, was released in France on 30 October 2013. José Garcia played the lead character.[11]

Scott co-wrote and directed an American remake, Delivery Man. It was produced by DreamWorks Pictures, and Vince Vaughn played the lead character.[12][13] It was released on 22 November 2013.

References

  1. ^ "STARBUCK (15)". Signature Entertainment. British Board of Film Classification. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ^ "Starbuck (U.S. only) (2013) – International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  3. ^ Smith, Ian Hayden (2012). International Film Guide 2012. Tantivy Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-1908215017.
  4. ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (27 July 2011). "Fertile premise delivers laughs – and insight into fatherhood". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 10 August 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Starbuck, Ken Scott: Gala Presentations". Toronto International Film Festival. September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Starbuck is a crowd-pleasing comedy from Quebec". reelshorts.ca. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  7. ^ Knight, Chris (22 September 2011). "Film Review: Starbuck (3.5 stars)". National Post. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  8. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (22 November 2012). "Film Review: Starbuck (3.5 stars)". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  9. ^ Barry Hertz, "The 23 best Canadian comedies ever made". The Globe and Mail, June 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Massé, Isabelle (4 January 2012). "Starbuck renaîtra en Inde (Starbuck is reborn in India)". La Presse. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  11. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (12 November 2013). "Delivery Man: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Breakdown Express". Talentrep.breakdownexpress.com. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  13. ^ "La Zone Audio • Vidéo". Radio-Canada.ca. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Starbuck_(film)&oldid=1265672515"