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Review by Susan Granger
1 star out of 4
Hey, if George Lucas can do a "Star Wars" prequel, why not
The Flintstones? This prehistoric, live-action prequel goes back to
the bachelor days of Fred Flintstone (Mark Addy) and Barney Rubble
(Stephen Baldwin), showing how they court and marry Wilma Slaghoople
(Kristen Johnston) and her room-mate, Betty O'Shale (Jane Krakowski),
respectively. It turns out that curvaceous Wilma's the daughter of
doddering Col. Slaghoople (Harvey Korman) and snooty, snobbish Pearl
Slaghoople (Joan Collins) who want her to marry Chip Rockefeller
(Thomas Gibson), the suave, sneaky scion of a respectable old-money
family who wants to use the Slaghoople fortune to pay off a mob
debt. But Wilma loves blue-collar Fred, who has just secured a job at
the rock quarry in Bedrock. Chip invites everyone, including Fred and
Barney, to be his guests at the opening of a new resort hotel in Rock
Vegas. Based on the animated Hanna-Barbera TV series, the
collaborative screenplay, credited to four writers, utilizes every
known prehistoric cliche, while Brian Levant's direction desperately
underscores each sight gag and pun. Alan Cumming plays two roles: The
Great Gazoo, a tiny, wisecracking alien who was sent to Earth to
observe the mating rituals of humans, and Mick Jagged, one of Betty's
suitors, while Ann-Margret warbles on the soundtrack. Problem is:
it's too talky for kids - they get really restless - and too tacky for
adults. At 90 minutes, it seems excruciatingly long. On the Granger
Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" is an
exaggerated, frantic, cornball 3. If you really, really, really love
the Flintstones, you're gonna enjoy this movie. If not,
yabba-dabba-don't bother with this fossil.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
