The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is the second Live-Action Adaptation of The Flintstones franchise with Brian Levant returning to the director's chair. This Prequel to the first film tells how Fred Flintstone (Mark Addy) and Barney Rubble (Stephen Baldwin) meet Wilma Slaghoople (Kristen Johnston) and Betty O'Shale (Jane Krakowski), respectively. The film outlines how both couples fell in love and the rivalries from others that complicated their relationships. Joining in is the mysterious little alien the Great Gazoo (Alan Cumming) who has been sent to Earth to experience humanity's "mating rituals"—though only Fred and Barney can see him. Nothing will stand in the way of love— except for arrogant and conniving playboy Chip Rockefeller (Thomas Gibson), who has made it in the cutthroat town of Rock Vegas and wants to marry Wilma only for her family's fortune to pay off his debts and keep his wealth.
Despite slightly more positive reception than the first film (though still generally negative), this film had the misfortune of coming out during a time when Hanna-Barbera cartoons had become So Last Season, and Universal Pictures was already exhausting their advertising expenditures toward two of their other films released that same period, U571 and Gladiator. As a result of being put on their self-made blockbuster death row, Viva Rock Vegas tanked at the box office, grossing far less than its predecessor, and Universal relinquished the Hanna-Barbera film licensenote , resulting in no further live-action Flintstones movies being made since then, though an animated film currently is in development by Warner Animation Group.
Tropes:
- Abusive Mom / Rich Bitch: Pearl is a mild example of the emotional variety. She disparages Wilma’s dreams of going to Bedrock, has a snobby attitude towards Fred and Barney and guilt-trips Wilma into coming back for her husband’s birthday.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: When Fred starts winning big at the casino (actually the work of Chip behind the scenes), he briefly acts like a posh jerk, thinking that's what Wilma wants. He's very wrong.
- All-Powerful Bystander: Gazoo. He can do pretty much anything he wants by snapping his fingers, but his overseers forbid him from using his powers while on Earth except for his research purposes. One of the sweeter moments in the movie is when he decides to help Fred and Barney escape jail anyway.
- Alternate Continuity: Not only does the movie re-tell the story of how Fred and Barney met Wilma and Betty, but it also has a different origin story for Gazoo - in the cartoon, he was banished because he invented a doomsday machine, but here he's part of a race of galactic observers, and is sent to Earth to study the human concept of love and romance (and because he apparently can't keep his nose out of other people's business).
- And Starring: In the opening credits, the cast roll ends with "and Joan Collins."
- Big Eater: Barney.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Gazoo can do this; at the beginning of the film, he points out the giant letters of the Universal logo orbiting the Earth, and at the end, he snaps his fingers to Smash to Black.
- Creator Cameo: The creators of the original Flintstones cartoon, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, can be seen briefly during Fred and Wilma's wedding.
- Cassandra Truth: When Chip tries to conduct an Engineered Public Confession by proclaiming someone in the room has committed a crime, one man steps forward to declare that he's systematically poisoning the dinosaurs and they'll all be extinct within decades. Everyone just laughs him off.
- Companion Cube: Wilma's pearl necklace. The film reveals that it was a gift from her father, who gave it to her while promising that no matter what she chose to do with her life, he would love and support her.
- Cry into Chest: Barney cries into Fred's shoulder as the two cry in jail over their loss of Wilma and Betty.
- Daddy's Girl: Wilma—the only way her mother can get her to return to the mansion is by pointing out how upset Colonel Slaghoople would be if his daughter didn't show up to his birthday party.
- Dance Party Ending: In conjunction with Fred and Wilma's wedding.
- Description Cut: Two:(After Gazoo is banished to Earth)Alien Leader: Imagine the moron that's going to get stuck with Gazoo!(Cut to a shot of Fred driving his car)
- And later:Wilma: I don't think there's a greedy bone in Fred's body.(Cut to Fred tossing money in the air at a gambling table)Fred: YABBA-DABBA-DOUGH!
- And later:
- Diabolus ex Machina: How Chip gets Fred into debt: The former has a hidden switch that somehow affects Fred's luck.
- Disguised in Drag: How Fred and Barney get around hotel security after Gazoo helps them escape from jail—they pass themselves off as showgirls.
- Doomed by Canon: Any fan of The Flintstones should know from the very beginning Chip wouldn't get Wilma.
- Easily Forgiven: Fred and Barney's criminal charges are apparently dropped once they reunite with their respective girlfriends, even though Fred never proved Chip actually framed him and the two still escaped from jail.
- Engineered Public Confession: Chip deliberately creates one of these by planting Wilma's beloved pearl necklace in Fred's pocket, then announcing that a robbery has been committed and encouraging the thief to step forward. Unfortunately, three other patrons think he's talking about them and make confessions of their own.Towel Confessor Woman: I stole all the towels from my room!
Chip: ...Yes, well, technically that is illegal, but...
Underwear Confessor Guy: I'm wearing someone else's underwear!
(the crowd recoils in disgust and backs away from him)
Chip: No! I was talking about—
Dinosaur Confessor Guy: I'm systematically poisoning the dinosaurs' water supply! In a matter of decades, their entire species will be extinct!
(the crowd laughs)
Chip: ALRIGHT! This is obviously going nowhere. - Everybody Cries: After getting sent to jail, Fred and Barney break down crying over losing Wilma and Betty respectively. Gazoo tries to calm them, claiming that the alien race he comes from had gone for ages without expressing emotions, but it's not long before he joins in with the crying too.
- Evil Laugh: Chip does a very dramatic and drawn-out one when he flips the switch to make Fred lose the casino games.
- Faint in Shock:
- Wilma's mother faints in shock twice during Fred and Wilma's wedding.
- Discussed: Fred imagines Wilma fainting at the sight of his giant engagement ring.
- Gasshole: At the beginning of the film, a Brontosaurus let's out a massive fart which sends everything behind him flying.
- Gold Digger: Chip only wants Wilma for her family's wealth.
- Mrs. Slaghoople and Roxi, Chip Rockefeller's girlfriend, certainly are.
- Imagine Spot: Fred has two of them throughout the movie:
- When he and Wilma are overlooking the development of a new neighborhood including a house for sale (the same one they'll eventually own), he imagines Wilma mowing the lawn there while he lounges on a chair. Wilma then angrily corrects it to one of him mowing the lawn while she prepares a drink for him.
- Upon being offered a trip to Rock Vegas, Fred imagines winning enough money to afford an enormous oversized diamond ring to propose to Wilma with, which makes her so overjoyed she faints.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Pearl tries to assure her daughter that marrying Chip is the right thing to do, saying she married Colonel Slaghoople for money and they've never been happier. Just then, the Colonel walks by and the two shoot an uncaring glance at each other before Pearl takes out a flask of whiskey.
- Innocently Insensitive: Wilma's socialite friends try to convince her she should marry Chip by saying that soon enough once they're all married they'll be "just like our mothers!" Wilma, who has obvious issues with her controlling and selfish mother, screams in despair.
- Jenny's Number: The jail cell has "For a good time, call 867" written on the wall.
- Mistaken for Cheating: When Betty sees Barney removing cream from a showgirl's chest, she thinks he's making a pass at the girl.
- Mistaken for Gay: When Fred and Barney tuck themselves into their bunk bed, Gazoo suddenly appears. It startles Barney so much that he falls out of his top bunk and he lands on top of Fred, making Gazoo believe they're mating (doesn't help that Gazoo's alien race has no females and they reproduce like amoebas). Talk about a gay old time!Fred: What are you doing here?
Gazoo: I'm here to experience your species' mating rituals, so get to it!
Fred: Oh, no, Barney and me don't, uh... Get off of me! (shoves Barney off his back and onto the floor) - Mistaken for Servant: Wilma's mother mistakes Betty for a housekeeper when she first meets her.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Like in the original series, Wilma's mother dislikes Fred.
- One-Gender Race: The alien race Gazoo comes from, all of whom are male - they don't understand the concept of 'mating' because they reproduce like amoebas.
- Reality Warper: Gazoo. When he finally decides to break the rules and help Fred and Barney, all he needs to do is say "Achoo!" to activate telekinetic abilities and take out a troublesome guard. note
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Wilma delivers an epic one to her mother after the latter screams at Fred for ruining her party. 'Wilma: How can you treat people this way?
- Remake Cameo:
- Harvey Korman (the voice of Gazoo from the cartoon) plays Colonel Slaghoople.
- John Stephenson, who voiced Mr. Slate in the cartoon, voices the minister who marries Fred and Wilma.
- Rosie O'Donnell, who plays Betty in the original film, makes a cameo as the voice of a masseuse octopus and says a few lines.
- Rich Bastard: Chip is a pretty cocky example of this trope.
- Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor:
- Chip Rockfeller and Fred Flintstone. Somewhat subverted in that Chip's wealth was a mere facade and he needed to marry Wilma for her family's money or then he'd lose his estate and then some to pay his debts.
- Also, Mick Jagged and Barney Rubble. Albeit, in that case, it was more about Mick being famous than being rich.
- Sand In My Eyes: Gazoo uses a variant of this trope during Fred and Wilma's wedding:Barney: Gazoo, are you crying?
Gazoo: No, no, no, of course not, dum-dum. No, I...I'm simply overcome with...information. You see, I finally understand your complex mating rituals. All the emotions, all this...love. And I've come to the conclusion that...I'll never meet anybody! - Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Chip offered to release Fred from his gambling debts if Fred agreed to leave Wilma. Fred refused.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Wilma's friends tell her the possibilities she and Chip could have together, she runs away from her house.
- Slobs Versus Snobs: The scene between the wealthy elite at Colonel Slaghoople's birthday party and Fred, Barney, and Betty, the "commoners."
- Spit Take: Mrs. Slaghoople does this upon seeing Fred performing as Mick Jagged.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: Chip Rockfeller and Fred Flintstone were rivals for Wilma's affections. Rockfeller lured Fred into a casino of his, where Fred got a debt of 1.4 million clams. Rockfeller then offered to cancel the debt if Fred agreed to get out of Wilma's life forever. When Fred refused, Rockfeller stole Wilma's pearl necklace and framed Fred, claiming Fred intended to sell the necklace to pay his debt.
- Trying Not to Cry: When Fred and Barney start to cry over their loss of Wilma and Betty, Gazoo claims that his alien race had gone for a long time without emotions as he tries to console them. He ends up crying along with them.Gazoo: Please don't! Not emotions! My race has prospered for eons without the slightest trace of personal emotions and we couldn't be happier! Well, of course, we don't actually get happy because we don't have emotions, but... (starts to cry) Oh, this is so sad. Somebody hold me!
- Uptown Girl: Upon learning about Wilma's financial status, Fred felt the trope's weight and feared not to be good enough for her. That helped Chip in his plan to get rid of Fred.
- Villain of Another Story: The guy who poisons the dinosaurs' water supply. He keeps loudly announcing his intentions but to his frustration nobody seems interested in doing anything to stop him.
- White Sheep: Unlike her friends, Wilma hates her rich life due to her expectations brought upon her by her mother, her endlessly shallow lifestyle and Chip’s affections for her.
- Widely-Spaced Jail Bars: At one point, Fred and Barney are in jail. While the bars are close enough together to give Fred trouble, Barney can walk through the gaps without even shrugging. He doesn't realize this until he, Fred, and Gazoo start crying; Barney walks out of the cell to get the tissues on a guard's desk, then goes back in with them. Fred has to tell him to go back out and get the keys.
