VOD (4)
Plots(1)
This movie features the collaborative directorial efforts of four new filmmakers, each of whom directs a segment of this comedy. It's New Year's Eve at the Mon Signor Hotel, a former grand old Hollywood hotel, now fallen upon hard times. Often using physical comedy and sight gags, this movie chronicles the slapstick misadventures of Ted, the Bellhop. He's on his first night on the job, when he's asked to help out a coven of witches in the Honeymoon Suite. Things only get worse when he delivers ice to the wrong room and ends up in a domestic argument at a really bad time. Next, he foolishly agrees to watch a gangster's kids for him while he's away. Finally, he finishes off the night refereeing a ghastly wager. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (9)
Four Rooms is an auteur film, meaning that the director makes a film for the author, their relatives, and closest friends. Fortunately, in America, it works a bit differently, so this time four directors came together, each to shoot a story set in one room of the same hotel. It's a black comedy involving a corpse, a severed finger, marital crises resolved through bondage and firearms, and a bet involving a meat cleaver. The weakest story is attributed to Allison Anders, simply because her witch tale lacks a strong point. Fortunately, Quentin Tarantino balances it out by poking fun at himself, and I just hope that lost bet didn't hurt him too much. A decent cast, and several nice scenes. Overall impression: 60%.
()
A very weak affair. An unimaginative shot-in-the-dark short story, which then as now attracted attention only by a bunch of familiar (but not interesting) names brought together. To start, we have a moment from the witches' coven, Madonna teases, Ione Skye shows her breasts and Valeria Golino is a familiar face, but no one knows her by name nowadays... and this group isn’t able to do anything together. Absolutely nothing. We continue with a story about how the couple has fun letting a busboy peek into their sex games, and yes, Jennifer Beals was and is sexy, but nothing more. Then we witness Rodriguez's prequel to Spy Kids. Okay, then. And the ending? He tries to convince us, in the words of Quentin himself, that Four Rooms is not complete bullshit, but rather that it holds together. That is the biggest mistake of all.
()
Sometimes about nothing, sometimes lacking a point, the lines go over my head and two good stories simply aren't enough for me. The film as a whole lacks atmosphere and one man is to blame – Tim Roth. His connecting thread of a character is nothing more than a silly caricature trying to look like a mix of Rowan Atkinson and similar clowns, but instead just oozes awkwardness.
()
It's an old song, but I found it to be quite true and I'll briefly repeat it: the first episode resembles a mediocre student film in content, the second one clumsily tries to build up the situation with some cool dialogue and has nothing to say, the third one is a lot of fun with Banderas's performance and a very funny punchline to the final joke, and the fourth one is an above average scene from any Tarantino feature, ending with one of the funniest moments of his entire career. Something like a somewhat routine hotel tour, where each floor represents a higher level of directorial talent, and in sum, it's just enough for 3*.
()
The opening story is really weak, the second one is better and the third and fourth ones don't have a single flaw. Whether it's Rodriguez's smoking and drinking kids or Tarantino's playful long takes, it's finally fun and a joy to watch. Plus, we get some pretty impressive points, and both men also seemed to know how to tame Tim Roth, because he suddenly became a slightly more tolerable bozo in their rooms. I also praise the hilarious opening "pink-panther" credits.
()
Ads