The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)

THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS is just as sloppy as the first 
film, no surprise there.  (You were expecting better with that di-
rect-to-video sounding title?)  Happily, this sequel-that's-really-
a-prequel is also twice as much fun (or more) to watch.  Credit an 
all-new cast that fleshes out the familiar roles even better than 
John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, and fat Rosie O'Don-
nell did in 1994.  This time it's Mark Addy (THE FULL MONTY), Ste-
phen Baldwin, Kristen Johnston (TV's "Third Rock From The Sun"), 
and Jane Krakowski (TV's "Ally McBeal") as the Modern Stone-Age 
Family.  Headliner Addy is dead-on in both appearance *and* accent, 
his voice blending the best of Fred Flintstone and Ralph Kramden.  
Homina homina homina.  Baldwin's Barney, his sidekick, is far less 
of a physical match, though he, too, sounds uncannily like the car-
toon character.  Yuh, hee hee hee.  Johnston's Wilma and future 
Mrs. Flintstone is the most Amazonian version yet.  Her enthusiasm, 
however, makes her a memorable addition.  Same for Krakowski's clo-
ser-resembling Betty Rubble-to-be.  (The story starts with the boys 
having yet met the girls.  Then they date, with Fred spouting such 
romantic dialogue as "your eyes look like two big eyes.")

Other cast members include Joan Collins as Wilma's mother, Harvey 
Korman as Wilma's dad, and Alan Cumming (TITUS) as the Great Gazoo.  
Rendered as a little green man with a big green head, Cumming is an 
absolute stitch.  And he might have been a more-consistent scene-
stealer, were his appearances better-timed.  Alas, he's often shown 
just floating there, the camera watching him watching the others.  
And that's how the entire film is-- flimsily constructed with poor-
ly timed scenes, awkward shot angles, and a gargantuan set that, 
while wowing, occasionally swallows the actors whole.  (Hey, our 
brains can only process so much information in a single frame!)  
There are more throwaway visual gags this time around-- check out 
Fred's personalized plate-- as well as the expected stream of silly 
stone puns.  Too bad the plot is so painfully pedestrian.  Couldn't 
the four credited writers come up with something better than Wilma 
running away from her rich roots, meeting a commoner, and getting 
ratted out by her mother?  And do we *really* have to resort to 
putting Fred and Barney in drag for laughs??  Oh well, at the least 
the sets are colorful as Hell.  And the sound effects 100-percent 
authentic Hanna-Barbara.  You'll have a gay old time.  Returning 
director Brian Levant directs. 

Grade: C+

Copyright 2000 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros