Four Rooms (1995)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Directors:

Allison Anders
Alexandre Rockwell

Writers (WGA):

Allison Anders (written by) (segment)
Alexandre Rockwell (written by) (segment)

Release Date:

25 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Twelve outrageous guests. Four scandalous requests. And one lone bellhop, in his first day on the job, who's in for the wildest New year's Eve of his life.

Plot:

Four interlocking tales that take place in a fading hotel on New Year's Eve.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | New Year's Eve | Coven | Bellhop | Gangster

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sammi Davis	...	Jezebel (segment "The Missing Ingredient")
Amanda De Cadenet	...	Diana (segment "The Missing Ingredient") (as Amanda deCadenet)
Valeria Golino	...	Athena (segment "The Missing Ingredient")
Madonna	...	Elspeth (segment "The Missing Ingredient")
Ione Skye	...	Eva (segment "The Missing Ingredient")
Lili Taylor	...	Raven (segment "The Missing Ingredient")
Alicia Witt	...	Kiva (segment "The Missing Ingredient")
Jennifer Beals	...	Angela (segments "The Wrong Man", "The Man from Hollywood")
David Proval	...	Sigfried (segment "The Wrong Man")
Antonio Banderas	...	Man (segment "The Misbehavers")
Lana McKissack	...	Sarah (segment "The Misbehavers")
Patricia Vonne	...	Corpse (segment "The Misbehavers") (as Patricia Vonne Rodriguez)
Tamlyn Tomita	...	Wife (segment "The Misbehavers")
Danny Verduzco	...	Juancho (segment "The Misbehavers")
Salma Hayek	...	TV Dancing Girl (segment "The Misbehavers")

Also Known As:

Four Rooms and a Hotel (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong language, sexuality and some drug use.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:MA | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R (No. 33973) | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Chateau Marmont - 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

In the fourth episode, the car on the cover of the magazine that Quentin Tarantino shows to 'Tim Roth' is the same one that John Travolta uses in Pulp Fiction (1994).

Goofs:

Plot holes: The hotel's vintage telephone switchboard adds an element of comic chaos, but it is not consistently used. Ted answers calls to the front desk by pushing cables into jacks, but Sarah (the little girl in "The Misbehavers") is able to dial another room directly. Also, when the partying guys call and don't know what room they are in, Ted should be able to get the room number right off the switchboard.

Quotes:

Ted the Bellhop: I'm in a situation I can't begin to explain

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Secretary (2002)

Soundtrack:

Harlem Nocturne

2397

When the movie starts off you begin to feel a bit queasy (is that how you write that?). The introductory credits are cartoonish, insanely stupid and long. Really self-indulgent. Like they really thought they were being incredibly funny, when in actuality they only remind us of the intro bits of the Pink Panther cartoon, only much more childish.

And sure enough: the first of the four movies is so horribly unfunny, badly written and overacted, all I could think about it was: 'Errr...' My movie-watching companion concurred. We had vacant stares upon our faces. The only decent part about the first movie were the bare tits and Madonna's cleavage. Furthermore it was mindbogglingly dumb and theatre-acting like. (Insert sound of disgust here.) 2 out of 10.

The second movie: same deal. Overacting, theatre-like overacting, dumb story, silly situations, unlikely and unlikeable people. Really, I was thinking how I could've spend my time even worse than looking at this crap, and nothing really popped up. Maybe intentionally breaking my leg or knowingly unhinging my jaw would be even less fun. 3 out of 10. Also, the first two directors have had no career at all after their sh^tpile contribution to Four Rooms, and rightfully so. Go do something you're good at. Theatre?

Then came the third one. We weren't sure whether we had already seen the ones of Tarantino and Rodriguez, and luckily we did not. This was the Robert Rodriguez one, we quickly figured. The style, the humor, all that stuff. Also, Tim Roth, the main character was not overacting so much in this one. It's an awesomely told story about two kids left behind in a hotel on new year's eve by their parents (one of which is a really cool Antonio Banderas). With only the bellboy (Roth) to look after them. It has funny dialogue, decent acting (even by the kids) and is more realistic, and towards the end pays off in a climax that had me and my friend laughing out loud for a couple of minutes straight. Forking awesome: 9 out of 10.

The last one of the bunch was the one by Tarantino, which we figured when Tarantino himself was in the first scene. It's typical Tarantino, but a bit more over the top in the start and with (pretty much signature) overly long conversations (remember Kill Bill 2? Good lord...), that were not nearly as funny and well written as in say Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. This one is decent as well, only it drags on and on. The pay-off though is again remarkable, having to do with a wager involving a car, a big meat-cleaver, a pinkie and drunk party guests. Too long, boring at times, but the climax saves it: 7 out of 10.

Thus we add up: 2+3+9+7= 21. 21 divided by four: 5.25, so: 5 out of 10. Just skip the first two bits if you want to keep your stomach contents.