Starbuck DVD

Although few greet a Vince Vaughn movie without a little trepidation, it’s well worth catching this little Gaelic gem before Monsieur Vaughn gets his hands on it for the upcoming remake, unlikely to replicate the charm of lead actor Patrick Huard in a standout role.

Although few greet a Vince
Vaughn movie without a little trepidation, it’s well worth catching this little
Gaelic gem before Monsieur Vaughn gets his hands on it for the upcoming remake,
unlikely to replicate the charm of lead actor Patrick Huard in a standout role.

Huard pays David Wozniak, drug-grower, delivery man
and – thanks to his efforts at a local sperm donor clinic in the ‘80s – father
to over 500 offspring. When nearly a third of those decide to sue the clinic
and discover the identity of their biological father, he’s given time to find a
little out about them before deciding whether he wants to make himself known.

With that kind of bizarre concept – My Name is Earl meets The Switch – director Ken Scott’s film is, actually, closer
in tone to the warm nineties comedy Fever
Pitch perhaps because Huard is rarely out of his football jersey, bearing a
striking resemblance to a scruffy Eric
Cantona.

With a subplot involving David’s run in with some
drug dealers necessitating him to get his hands on $80,000 pretty
quick, Starbuck manages to weave
separate strands pretty well. Because not only does he
have a certain 142 people to keep tabs on, but his girlfriend is about to
present him with another outcome from the fruit of his loins (i.e she’s
pregnant) meaning he’s really got some thinking to do.

So the fact that Huard manages not only to make
slacker David likeable but also sympathetic means Vaughn’s really got his work
cut out. What could have been a fairly repetitive sequence of events (going
through the list) is reduced to several key storylines. And while some might
find the end result a little too sentimental, there’s nothing wrong with a
little heart in what’s essentially a heartwarming tale about the consequences
of using hand relief to bring financial relief.

It will be interesting to see how original director
Scott and Vaughn are going to handle that one.