Recently I thought I would treat myself to a Tim Roth movie marathon. So I rented Reservoir Dogs, Little Odessa, The Perfect Husband and one of my favorite of his movies Four Rooms.
Four Rooms is an interesting movie in that it takes place in one hotel - on New Years Eve - in four separate rooms. What makes the movie fun is that each room's story was written by a different person, with a different cast. Sort of like four mini movies tied together by the fabulous Tim Roth, as Ted the bellhop.
The first room is Honeymoon Suite ("The Missing Ingredient") Directed by: Allison Anders. It stars Madonna, Lili Taylor, Ione Skye, Sammi Davis, Alicia Witt and Amanda De Cadenet as a coven of witches visiting the room to resurrect their goddess Diana. The problem is one witch did not bring her ingredient for the spell, and she must get Ted to help her get it. Overall this is the weakest story, and probably the worst acted. I know that 15-20 minutes is a short time to establish any characters or plot, but it has been done before. This segment really goes nowhere and the resolution is pretty lame.
The second room we visit is Room 404 ("The Wrong Man") Directed by: Alexandre Rockwell. It stars Jennifer Beals and David Proval as a married couple that Ted stumbles upon when he takes ice to the wrong room. Poor Ted seems to have barged in on a bizarre sex game this couple is playing. He is faced with a bound and gagged woman and a bisexual husband who thinks Ted is the wife's lover. This segment always makes me think of David Lynch for some reason. Either way there are some great lines in this segment and it is pretty good.
The third room is Room 309 ("The Misbehavers") Directed by: Robert Rodriguez.
This one stars Antonio Banderas as a gangster father who pays Ted $500 to check on the kids every half hour. Ted thinks this will be an easy job but he doesn't know these kids. Every possible thing these kids can do wrong they do. They drink, smoke, watch dirty movies and much, much more. This is the best segment of the movie for me. Antonio Banderas is great as the macho Latin man and the kids are fabulous.
Lastly, The Penthouse ("The Man from Hollywood") Directed by: Quentin Tarantino.
Here the stars include (unbilled) Bruce Willis, Jennifer Beals (in the role from room 404), Quentin Tarantino and Paul Calderon.
In this room some drunk Hollywood bigwigs. It seems they have entered into a bet based on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Of course you cannot find this out without about 10 minutes of QT blathering on about Jerry Lewis, Kristal and a few other assorted ideas. Once it gets down to the bet we find that Chester (Tarantino) has made a bet with Norman (Calderon). The stakes a car and a pinkie finger. Ted's job is to first bring up the supplies and then to help settle the bet if needs be.
I do think that the third story is the best of the rooms, but Tim Roth is the shining star overall in the movie. His reactions to the situations are hilarious and he gets some great lines. He also has some pretty funny body movements sort of stiff, and jerky and just strange (some people have compared his performance to Jerry Lewis). I should also mention that the movie continues into the credits at the end so dont forget to watch them.
If you like movies like: New York Stories or California Suite then check out Four Rooms.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
Don t miss the fun in this hilariously sexy comedy that has Antonio Banderas (The Mask Of Zorro), Madonna (Evita) and a sizzling all-star cast checkin...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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