Taglines: Yabba-Dabba-Doo.
The Flintstones and the Rubbles are modern stone-age families. Fred and Barney work at Slate and Company, mining rock. Fred gives Barney some money so he and Betty can adopt a baby. When Fred and Barney take a test to determine who should become the new associate vice president, Barney returns the favor by switching his test answers for Fred’s, whose answers aren’t very good. Fred gets the executive position, but little does he know that he’s being manipulated by his boss to be the fall guy for an embezzlement scheme.
The Flintstones is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Brian Levant and written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein, and Steven E. de Souza. It is a live-action adaptation of the 1960s animated television series of the same name.
The film stars John Goodman as Fred Flintstone, Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble, Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma Flintstone, and Rosie O’Donnell as Betty Rubble, along with Kyle MacLachlan as a villainous executive-vice president of Fred’s company, Halle Berry as his seductive secretary (named after a famous actress), and Elizabeth Taylor (in her final theatrical film appearance), as Pearl Slaghoople, Wilma’s mother. The B-52’s (as The BC-52’s in the film) performed their version of the cartoon’s theme song.
The film, shot in California at an estimated $46 million budget, was theatrically released on May 27, 1994, and earned almost $342 million worldwide against a $46 million budget, making it a huge box office success, despite earning negative reviews from critics. Observers criticized the storyline and tone, which they deemed too adult and mature for family audiences, as well as the casting of O’Donnell as Betty and Taylor as Pearl, but praised its visual effects, costume design, art direction, and Goodman’s performance as Fred.
A prequel, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, was released in 2000. The original main cast did not reprise their roles of the characters, though O’Donnell provided the voice of an octopus who gave massages to younger versions of Wilma and Betty. Irwin Keyes returned as Joe Rockhead, the only cast member to reprise his role from the first film.
The Flintstones (1994)
Directed by: Brian Levant
Starring: John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O’Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry, Elizabeth Taylor, Dann Florek, Richard Moll, Irwin Keyes
Screenplay by: Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein, Steven E. de Souza
Production Design by: Eloy Lobato, William Sandell
Cinematography by: Dean Cundey
Film Editing by: Kent Beyda
Costume Design by: Rosanna Norton
Set Decoration by: Rosemary Brandenburg
Art Direction by: Christopher Burian-Mohr, Nancy Patton, William James Teegarden
Music by: David Newman
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild innuendos.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: May 27, 1994
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