Caught this on TV last night. Four Rooms is a collection of shorts directed Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. Each short follows the hapless Ted the Bellhop (Tim Roth, in what is easily his best role) in his encounters with the guests of four rooms on his first day of work at a luxurious hotel.

The first story is The Missing Ingredient (directed by Anders) set in the Honeymoon Suite of the hotel. It focuses on a coven of witches (including Madonna) conducting a ritual to raise their cursed sister from the dead. Unfortunately, one of the witches has forgotten a key ingredient and must obtain it immediately in order for the ritual to be completed. As it turns out, Ted is the only one capable of providing it.

This was probably the worst of the four stories but it wasn't bad and is a great way to kick off the film since it's so bizzare and draws you in immediately. It's a combination of nudity and sexual content and cartoonish special effects and heart-shaped scene-to-scene transitions. Kind of like an X-rated version of Bewitched. It was also a great introduction to Ted, a timid bellhop with a British accent and a flamboyant way of walking. Keep an eye on this guy. He changes in each story.

The second story is The Wrong Man (directed by Rockwell) set in room 404. Here, Ted is called to deliver some ice to a couple of drunk maniacs. Unfortunately, he finds himself in the wrong room with a bound-and-gagged woman and her husband who thinks Ted slept with her.

This story is much more down to earth than the previous one (although none of the stories are exactly down to earth) and much more entertaining to watch as Ted plays a much more important role. Most of the humor comes from Ted trying to talk his way out of this extremely sticky situation and his character is so terrific, you can't help but laugh. There's also a bizzare but amusing twist and the whole thing ends with the woman spouting out more euphemisms for the male genitalia than I even knew existed.

Next up, The Misbehavors (directed by Rodriguez) in room 309. Here, Ted is paid $500 by an intimidating Mexican man (Antonio Banderas) to moniter the behavior of his two children. Ted, at first, dismisses the task as a minor "pain in the ass" but soon learns that the kids are bigger misbehavors than they let on and his night soon spirals into a nightmare involving champaigne, lipstick, a hypodermic needle, and a smell that turns out not to be feet.

This is easily the best out of the four stories. Believe or not, Rodriguez actually outshines Tarantino here and by a long shot. The hell these kids unleash on Ted is hilarious but at the same time, you feel his pain big time. The whole situation escalates to one of the most hilarious conclusions/twist endings I've ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Banderas is terrific in his role as well. It's good to see him playing in a role that suits him for a change.

Finally, The Man From Hollywood (directed by Tarantino) in the Penthouse suite. By now, Ted's had enough and is ready to go home but receives a call from the most important guest in the building, a millionare film director (Tarantino himself), whom his boss insists he accomodate. So Ted heads up to the Penthouse suite with a wooden board, a meat cleaver, and a bucket of ice as requested by the guest. Ted is greeted by the eccentric director and is subsequently introduced to the other eccentrics in the suite. At first, our hapless but loveable bellhop is made to feel right at home but when the director reveals what is to be done with the items he has requested, Ted finds himself forced into making one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

As you might expect, this was a good one and features everything you might expect from Tarantino from razor-sharp dialogue to film references. Unfortunately, Four Rooms was made in 1995, a year after Pulp Fiction, so I suspect the sudden onset of fame had gone to Tarantino's head around this time. As a result, this segment was a little pretentious. Tarantino essentially plays himself here, only ten times as obnoxious, and proceeds to strut around showing how knowledgeable he is about film, how much money his latest film made, and how great Crystal champaigne tastes. The story was great, don't get me wrong, but it still feels sort of like Tarantino bragging about how successful he's become. Nevertheless, The Man From Hollywood is a great way to end the film and has a nice twist at the end as well.

All in all, Four Rooms is a fantastic film full of laughs and a lot of talent. Recommended to anyone.

I didn't think this was fantastic -- well, Rodriguez's is, the rest aren't -- but it was certainly entertaining and definitely different.  I'd say it's certainly worth the rent.  It's got a great variety of humour and Tim Roth is excellent.

I liked the last two shorts by Rodriguez and Tarantino, the movie as a whole I thought was pretty weak though, mostly because I found Tim Roth's character to be more annoying than funny.

The Tarantino segment was taken from a Roald Dahl story called "The Man From Down South."

It was adapted into a teleplay for a segment of Alfred Hitchcock presents way back.
The orignial segment starred Steve McQueen and Peter Lorre.

I saw another Hitchcok version of the same tale with John Huston and Kim Novak.

The Hitchcock version I saw was more chilling than Tarantino's story.

Tim Roth's best role was in Resevor Dogs... hands down. He played that character so well... I also liked him in Pulp Fiction.

Quoted from Balt Tim Roth's best role was in Resevor Dogs... hands down. He played that character so well... I also liked him in Pulp Fiction.

he was also great in Rob Roy

Quoted from Balt Tim Roth's best role was in Resevor Dogs... hands down. He played that character so well...

Amen.  I just watched Reservoir Dogs last night for the umpteenth time and yeah, Roth is fantastic.  But he had a great role to sink his chops in.  Actors would kill for that kind of role.

Ha ha.

I also loved his role in Tales From the Crypt; about the painter. Although it was a complete and total rip off of H.G. Lewis's "COLOR ME BLOOD RED"

Which, by the way, is still my favorite Lewis flick to date. It was such an original concept and had so much potential... More so than any one of his movies and I love them all.

Quoted from Balt Tim Roth's best role was in Resevor Dogs... hands down. He played that character so well... I also liked him in Pulp Fiction.

He was also good in Little Odessa. He played a Russian / Jewish hitman; another great performance in a very solid film.  

Since we're on the topic of Tim Roth roles, how bout The Legend of 1900?

He plays 1900, a mysterious, truly amazing piano player who spends his entire life on a boat.  I know that description makes it sound kind of odd, but it was actually a pretty good movie.

There's a scene between Roth and Clarence Williams III in a piano playing duel that's worth the rental alone.  I just happened to catch it when my wife bought it out of a $5 bin at Wal-Mart.