Tarantino and Rodriguez Land the Jokes, Anders and Rockwell Don’t in Four Rooms

Four Rooms is a 1995 anthology film built around a single New Year’s Eve night at the Hotel Mon Signor in Los Angeles. Each of the four segments runs a different direction, and each director brings a distinct tone to the material. The result is a film that is more interesting in parts than it is as a whole.

Tim Roth plays Ted, the bellhop who serves as the film’s framing device. He gets a new assignment for each segment, and the guests he meets are the engine of the comedy. Jennifer Beals, David Proval, Ione Skye, Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Calderon, Bruce Willis, Lana McKissack, Danny Verduzco, Marisa Tomei all appear across the four rooms, though the film does not always treat them equally.

Trailer, via YouTube Movies.

The Four Segments

The segments are:

1. The Hallway — directed by Allison Anders
2. The Bedroom — directed by Alexandre Rockwell
3. The Bathroom — directed by Robert Rodriguez
4. The Living Room — directed by Quentin Tarantino

Rodriguez and Tarantino handle the film’s best stretches. Their segments move fast, and they land jokes that stick. Anders and Rockwell’s contributions are slower and less focused, and they tend to drift rather than build toward a payoff.

The Guest List

Madonna shows up in the Anders segment as Elspeth, and her performance earned her Worst Supporting Actress at the 16th Golden Raspberry Awards. That recognition is telling — the film’s weakest material is the stuff she inhabits.

What Works

The Tarantino segment is the high point. It is sharp, funny, and full of energy. The Rodriguez segment follows closely behind, mixing humor and absurdity in a way that feels controlled. Both directors know exactly what kind of comedy they are making and execute it with confidence.

What Does Not Work

Anders and Rockwell’s segments are weaker. They lack the focus of the other two, and their pacing suffers for it. The film’s ambition — four directors, four rooms, four stories — is real, but not all of them land.

The Frame Story

Ted the Bellhop’s first night on the job is the thread that connects everything. He gets caught up in each guest’s predicament, and his reactions carry the film’s through-line. Roth sells the confusion and exhaustion of the position well.

The Bottom Line

Four Rooms is a mixed bag. Its best segments are genuinely funny, and its worst are simply dull. It is worth seeing for the Rodriguez and Tarantino segments alone, but the full film does not justify its runtime.

Key Facts Box

• Title: Four Rooms
• Year: 1995
• Director: Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
• Writer: Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Genres: Comedy
• Release Date: December 25, 1995 (United States)

The film is available on home video and streaming services. It remains a curiosity of its era, a project that tried to do something ambitious and mostly succeeded in parts.

1995 comedy · Alexandre Rockwell · Allison Anders · Four Rooms · Quentin Tarantino · Robert Rodriguez