Written, directed, edited, produced, cast by and starring Arthur Diennet (uh-oh)
Costarring Marcel Diennet, Bill Watterson and Megan Hensley
Rated: TV-MA
Running time: 1 hour and 34 minutes

by Zoe Crombie

American movies consistently seem to have a preoccupation with dreams. Not the surreal Luis Bunuel kind, but the far-off goal sort, the variety that can keep a protagonist going through thick and thin until they achieve it. While a powerful storytelling tool when used well, simply telling the viewer about the existence of a dream isn’t enough to inspire or engage them. This is a trap that writer and director Arthur Diennet falls into with his project American Bistro, a flaccid, unfunny film that attempts to be about something while ultimately meaning very little.