Four Rooms

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*. (29/11/2017)

Four Rooms is an author's film. In Czech conditions, it usually means that a director makes a film for the author, their relatives, and closest friends. Fortunately, it works slightly differently in America, so this time four directors came together to shoot a story set in the same hotel room. It's a black comedy with some dead body, a severed finger, a marital crisis solved with bondage and a gun, and a bet using a meat cleaver. The weakest story is Allison Anders' responsibility, simply because her witch story has a weak punchline. Fortunately, Tarantino balances it out by making fun of himself, and I just hope that the lost bet didn't hurt him too much. Decent cast, a few nice scenes. Overall impression: 60%. (04/12/2007)

It’s such a shame that the quality of the first two stories doesn’t come anywhere near the work of Tarantino and Rodriguez. All right, there is one word is more fitting – average. Apart from Roth’s hamming, almost nothing happens. Luckily my expectations were not that high, and I just took it as a necessary debut movie, until the action hurricane with the slick Banderas and the ending where Tarantino reels off one snappy line after another. As a Quentin fan I really enjoyed the last bit, maybe almost as much as he did himself. Tons of cues and heavily improvised monologs (excuse me, monolog) in one take and faultless choreography. That’s why I gave it the fourth star, I can’t say no more to defend it. (29/03/2010)

Rodriguez’s and Tarantino’s stories are good, the other two are average, Tim Roth, on the other hand, was awful. He overacts a lot, jerking his body and head like a moron and making all sorts of stupid jokes. I guess it was supposed to be funny, but it was awkward and it made this whole, otherwise quite cool little movie, frustrating. Four stars without Roth! (13/01/2003)

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. (06/02/2016)