42 year old David Wozniak is one of life’s underachievers who simply manages to get by day to day. He drives a delivery truck for his family’s butcher business and then at night tries to keep one step ahead of some dangerous looking types who are trying to collect on the gambling debts he has run up. Valerie his long-standing, and normally sensible, policewoman girlfriend looks enviously at David’s married brothers and their families knowing that she should really cut and run as her man is never going to step up to the plate and give her the life that she wants. And then one day David’s past catches up on him, and life will never ever be the same for either of them.To keep himself in funds (and it turns out, to pay for a treat for his dying Ma) when he was in his 20’s he made several trips to the Sperm Bank to make deposits. Some 693 times. He was after all a big spender. Unbeknown to him the crooked Owner of the ‘Bank’ only ever used David’s sperm and it turned out to be exceptional fertile. So much so that it fathered some 533 children, and since the news of Owner’s trickery at the Sperm Bank became public knowledge, 142 of these children filed a suit in Court to try and uncover the real identity of their donor dad who was only known by the code name ‘Starbuck’.
Totally petrified about being exposed, a very broke David could only afford to hire his bumbling old friend, an ex-Lawyer, to try and ensure that not even one of the kids …..now young adults …. would ever get to call him Daddy. Despite being in total denial about the whole situation, David’s curiosity peeked enough to sneak a look at the portfolio the Court had supplied that contained the profiles of his off-springs. The first one turned out to be a professional footballer, something that David himself would have loved to have been, and this encouraged him to check out more of them. This he does by surreptitiously stalking them so that he doesn’t get found out. They include a barman/aspiring actor, supermarket worker, subway busker, manicurist, lifeguard etc etc and even one who’s a heroin addict.
Whilst this is unfolding, Valerie totally unaware of David’s colorful past announces that she is pregnant, but tells him that she is going to have the child on her own, as he is totally unfit to be a father. Somehow he/we discover he actually is more than fit as the more he sees of his 144 children the more he realizes that he strangely actually has the makings of a very good dad after all.
This delightful French/Canadian comedy is a gentle touching story that is about one man discovering the joys that can come from making family ties. It awakens a passion and a confidence in this very likable charmer who has been so self-centered up till now and just drifting somewhat aimlessly. The story is far fetched but the humor in which it unfolds is both tender and infectious. The fact that it is quite so captivating is mainly due to actor Patrick Huard perfectly cast as David/Starbuck who makes us believe so convincingly that even a loser like him can turn out to be a hero in the end.
A sweet funny movie full of humanity for anyone who has never ever donated sperm!
P.S. Hollywood always short of original ideas of its own is already planning to re-make its version of this story starring Vince Vaughan. You can just imagine how crass and crude this will be! Urgh!
★★★★★★★★
Labels: French Canadian, romantic comedy
