User reviews

The perfect allegory for this film is the same with restaurants. We usually visit those restaurants that are recommended to us or have good reviews, then you visit and discover the tragic reality. This film doesn't know what it wants to be. I know it's an independent film and it's not easy to make movies, but besides some problems with the script, there are unforgivable technical problems, mainly with the audio editing. The premise of the script is interesting but the acting seems close to that of a high school film. I wish all the luck to the authors and director but I didn't like the film very much.

Movie seems unfinished. Or there's a lot of scenes missing that were supposed to provide context. Idk. I won't comment on acting. I think a lot of things like could've been ignored if it had a decent plot. Base plot is good but I think they had too many ideas they tried to push in not enough time. Ended up with nothing resolved at the end

The average rating of this movie is impossible, and has the potential to destroy the entire IMDB rating system reputation. This movie is utterly unwatchable. Not fun, not entertaining at all. Just incredibly poorly made, acted, directed and scripted. Could possibly be used to torture suspects into confessions.

It was a disaster... This is a narcissist need of father and son (I assume) to write and play together. There are ZERO acting skills, the plot is mediocre and the acting, again, it is a persoanl need that is asking us for money and attention. In a world where time is a commodity, this is a waste of it. Spend your time (and dime) wisely. Avoid this one.

This is one of those..."things" that you can't even call it a film. Poorly acted, poorly directed, poorly edited, poorly filmed. Actors overact, underact. Jokes were bad. The sad moments were disgracefully acted. The score didn't match the scenes. The camera went too close or too far away, cutting the actors' head. Please I beg you, dont waste your time. You'd rather chew glass than watch this melange.

This movie is a waste of time to watch, an amateurish piece of garbage... walking the dog to the park is more fun.

With a TV-14 rating (via On Demand) we thought this would be okay to watch with our family. WRONG!! Within the first 5 minutes it became obvious it was not a family movie, especially for families trying to teach wholesome values. Come on, real dialogue would have been nice instead of using four-letter words to fill up space and time. Hoping that the beginning language loss was just for shock value we were wrong and turned it off a few minutes later.

American Bistro Is the Feel Good Movie of the Year

American Bistro grabs the audience's attention from the start and doesn't let go until the end. In the first scene a young man named Edmund (portrayed by Arthur Diennet) is grieving over his past actions and pondering the consequences. He asks that question that we all have asked. The question that is impossible to answer, "what if."

And the tone is set for the rest of the movie. Arthur Diennet wrote the script which he also directed and produced. He takes the viewer on an emotional, but joyous, ride as he investigates the themes of love, loss, anger and regret.

In his state of confusion about life, Edmund turns to his uncle Medor (played by Diennet's real life father Marcel Diennet - Medor is also gripping with loss and regret.

Marcel Diennet is a cinematic genius and a lesser artist would buckle under the weight of the many hats he wore during production. He joined drama and comedy together perfectly without sacrificing either. The final result is almost flawless.

The few criticisms are almost too small to mention. A few of the lesser characters are stereotyped. There is one too many vomit scenes. This movie is strong on its' own and low brow vomit scenes are not necessary.

Diennet gives us the answer to the question he asked at the beginning of American Bistro. An adventure is a problem after problem. A true hero is the one who surmounts problem after problem.

In the end there can be no light without darkness.

This film is truly heartwarming with unique comedic stylings. I was shocked to find out the two leads are real life father and son. Definitely fits my criteria of a fun, entertaining, unique film!

--Heartfelt indeed. I feel American Bistro does a great job of throwing some relatable and arduous life experiences your way, only to quickly spice them up with wry humour. And to top it off, there are decent emotional payoffs to the hooks which are laid, as well as solid messages about life that tie up the movie's points.

--The musical score does nothing extraordinary, but it is tasteful and does its job of guiding you through the movie's emotions quite well. I don't remember seeing any of these actors before, which probably tells more about my lack of engagement than their talent, because they deliver great performances. Particularly the two male leads. The movie largely approaches the problems it ponders through a father/son dynamic and the female characters, while they have fun personalities and moments of expression, are mostly there for the ride and do not greatly influence the plot. This isn't criticism, but a notification for any girls or women reading this. You might be amused, but may find fewer points to relate.

--There are only two points where I felt the movie's quality weaken. There is one argument between Medor and Gwen which felt somewhat theatrical, but both actors display good performances outside of this scene. At the very end of the movie, it decides to really drive certain ideas and messages, and somewhat forces them upon the plot. Perhaps some screenwriting or editing magic could have made it more seamless. I felt a jog in the pacing, but even with that in mind the resolution unfolded quite well.

--If you're looking for a well-made, wholesome experience, I'd argue this movie is a fine choice.

This film, like many good indie films, has a way to subvert any expectations. It is the kind of comedy that may only make you laugh a couple of times but will have you smiling throughout the whole story. The chemistry between the actors is magic!!!!

Very impressive debut from Arthur Diennet. Although this isn't a perfect film and is a little clunky at times, there's definitely heart here and Arthur is one to watch. It's funny how the film itself seems to emulate the moral of the story stated at the end of the film. Give it a watch, it's not bad.

A uniquely witty and uplifting film that kept me smiling throughout. As real life father and son, you can sense the chemistry between Edmund and Medor immediately, which is important to me when watching any film. It was inspiring to watch him chase his dreams despite the setbacks life so often throws our way. If you are looking for a film that will not only entertain, but lift your spirits, I would recommend giving American Bistro a watch!

I liked it. A real, feel-good comedy movie but serious in a way. Honestly was good fun, watched it with my family and we had some great laughs.

My wife and I loved this movie. It is a little slow at first but once you get past that it picks up the pace. It has some quirky characters who are relatable. There are some really great bits and some very funny. If all the interviews were like the one in this movie it would certainly shift the wheat from the chaff. It was endearing and heartfelt.

I could relate to this film as my family had a restaurant back in the day and we had to do everything from scratch right from picking the location. Loved the chemistry between the father and son, quality production and some of the scenes are super funny. We loved it! Entertaining, good job Arthur!

We had a great laugh, there's a bit of profanity and yes it gets dark at certain parts in the film but such is life. Watch it!

I'm shocked as to the bad reviews that's on here. This was a lovely movie! Inspirational, funny and sad at times and the ending was superb. This is a perfect movie to watch with your family during the holidays. I'm giving it a 10.

Thinking this was going to be cheesy I was a little hesitant on watching it but it had a bit of everything in this movie. Great jokes, solid cast, acting and the trial and tribulations that life might throw at you at times. I've rated this the highest just because they proved me wrong. Well Done!