The Flintstones

The Flintstones brings the classic animated Stone Age family into live action. Fred Flintstone and his best friend Barney Rubble work together at the Slate Mining quarry in Bedrock. When the company announces a test to find employees suitable for promotion, Barney, grateful for Fred's help with adopting a child, secretly swaps their answers so that Fred passes. Fred is elevated to an executive position, but he does not realize that his boss has chosen him as a pawn in a scheme to divert company money. As Fred enjoys his new wealth, his friendship with Barney suffers, and he must eventually confront the situation he has been maneuvered into.

Brian Levant directed the film, the third in his directing career after Problem Child 2 and Beethoven. Steven E. de Souza, Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein wrote the screenplay, and Bruce Cohen and Colin Wilson produced it for Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera Productions. John Goodman and Rick Moranis lead the cast as Fred and Barney, with Elizabeth Perkins and Rosie O'Donnell as their wives, and Kyle MacLachlan and Halle Berry as the scheming executive and his secretary.

Made for about 46 million US dollars, the film took roughly 342 million worldwide, a strong return. Audiences were lukewarm: it holds 5.1 out of 10 on IMDb from around 92,000 votes and 5.4 out of 10 on TMDB. A critics' rating of 4.2 out of 10 from 47 reviews places it in similar territory.