Four Rooms

On his first night as a bellhop, Ted the Bellhop (Tim Roth) discovers a hotel that feels more like a playground for trouble than a place to sleep. Four guests arrive with agendas that collide with Ted’s awkward attempts to keep up. Angela (Jennifer Beals) brings a dangerous game, Eva (Ione Skye) toys with chaos in a glassy suite, Siegfried (David Proval) negotiates a deal that quickly spirals, and Elspeth (Madonna) turns a simple request into a petty power play. Across one wild New Year's Eve, the hotel becomes a stage for miscommunications, improvised fixes, and back-and-forth banter as room-service encounters mount into outrageous predicaments. The humor comes from the clash of prim etiquette with raw indulgence, a collision that keeps Ted guessing.

Released in 1995 as an anthology comedy, Four Rooms brings together four distinct directors Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. Each segment offers a different tonal flavor, blending witty dialogue with brisk physical humor. The project grew from an idea to film four mini stories around one surreal night.

Box office receipts show Four Rooms grossing about $4,257,354 worldwide against a $4,000,000 budget, reflecting modest earnings for a high-profile ensemble project. The film opened in limited release before expanding across North America and select international markets.

Four Rooms is remembered for its unlikely quartet of directors and for Tarantino’s presence drawing fans to a project that blends comedy with a pinch of noir. The film has gained a small but persistent cult following among genre enthusiasts, who cite the sharp dialogue, brisk pacing, and playful premieres of each vignette. Its cross-director approach is often discussed in film schools as a case study in tonal variety.

Critics offered mixed assessments of the pacing and tonal shifts between segments, yet praised the wit and energy of individual sequences. Thematically, it playfully examines power dynamics, desire, and the way people improvise when social rules break down, turning a routine hotel stay into a carnival of mischief, a cheeky showcase of four distinct visions under one roof.