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Released
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August 17, 2010
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Running time
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17:55
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Nostalgia Critic: Hello, I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don’t have to. I’m just gonna come out and say it: I hate The Flintstones! (The audience boos) I do! I fucking hate The Flintstones!
(Cut to clips from the intro to the original 1960’s Flintstones cartoon are shown as NC speaks)
NC (voiceover): I mean, okay, I sort of respect it for being the first weekly animated show on primetime, that’s pretty impressive. But the animation is bad, the jokes are cheap, the stories are forgettable, and the characters just aren’t that interesting. They’re boring as hell. The only cool thing about it was those household appliances that were used from prehistoric animals. That was it.
(Cut back to NC)
NC: I've heard of lamer gimmicks to base a movie on.
(Cut to the title screen for The Flintstones movie is shown, followed by a montage of clips from the movie, and the film’s theme by the B-52’s, calling themselves the “BC-52’s” for this film)
NC (voiceover): From the genius director who brought you the awkward comedy of Jingle All the Way, the Flintstones movie, I guess, in some ways, is a perfect movie adaptation of the show. I mean, think about it. It’s just as bland, cheesy, and pointless as the original, so I guess it did its job.
(Cut back to NC)
NC: The only problem is, THAT JOB WAS SUCKING! So let’s take a look at the Flintstones live-action movie. (beat) You poor fucking saps.
(Cut to the film’s opening credits, written in rocks)
NC (voiceover): The movie begins with… (The credit “Steven Spielrock Presents” is shown) …a pun using the word “rock.” Yeah, this is a Flintstones product, all right.
(The film opens on a focus on the workers of Slate & Co., witnessed from the company's building by vice-president Cliff Vandercave and secretary Sharon Stone)
NC (voiceover): We see the prehistoric business of Slate and Company as led by their boss named Cliff.
(Cut to a clip of the same actor from the original Dune - Kyle MacLachlan)
Paul Atreides: Long live the fighters!
NC (voiceover): Yes, that is the guy from David Lynch’s Dune. And joining him is Halle Berry, in yet another role she’ll regret after winning an Oscar.
Cliff Vandercave: (to Sharon Stone (Berry)) Right now, I have a vision of you and me dripping with coconut oil on a beach in Rocapulco with Mr. Slate’s fortune to keep us company.
NC: Sounds like a typical visual from Twin Peaks.
(Once Cliff and Stone have finished discussing their plan, the film cuts to a reenactment of the original cartoon’s second, yet most popular intro)
NC (voiceover): But no time for that! We have The Flintstones opening to reenact!
Fred Flintstone (John Goodman): Yabba-dabba-doo!
(Fred slides down the back of his Brontosaurus crane into his car to clock out of work before the rest of the cartoon opening reenactment plays out)
Background Singers: ♫ Flintstones! Meet the Flintstones! / They’re a modern Stone-Age family! ♫
NC (voiceover): What’s that? You’re not laughing at this reenactment of a scene everybody recognizes from the original goddamn show? Well, get used to it. Get really fucking used to it.
Background Singers: ♫ …we’ll have a gay old time! ♫
(At the drive-thru cinema scene, after Dino pokes his head out of the car roof, the camera pans to the movie screen to start the film proper, beginning with the Universal Studios title card, except with the title “Univershell” spelled out in bones)
NC (voiceover): Oh, oh, “Univershell”? It’s like “Universal,” except they put “shell” ‘cause there were shells back in the Stone Age? Eh, yeah, fuck this.
(The title card for the movie is shown, then cut back to a close-up of another film poster at the drive in)
NC (voiceover): Wait a minute! That fucking poster said we were seeing ”Tar Wars”! I want to see “Tar Wars”! I don’t care if it’s even just two people drowning each other! It’s gotta be more entertaining than this!
(The movie proper begins with Fred and Barney riding together in Fred’s foot-powered car on their way home from work)
Fred and Barney: (singing) ♫ There’s a town I know where the hipsters go called Bedrock! ♫
NC (voiceover): So we see Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, played by John Goodman and Rick Moranis. Barney is excited because Fred just gave him a loan to finally go and adopt his own son. Why? Insert barren Betty joke with some sort of rock pun here.
Barney: Think I’ll be a good daddy, Fred?
Fred: Well, you’re bound to find somethin’ you’re good at.
Barney: Yeah, sure—Hey!
(He and Fred playfully fight until Fred locks Barney’s head under his armpit)
Barney: Uncle! (Fred lets go and chuckles)
NC: Wow! The…soullessness of that scene was really quite astounding.
(cut back to film, where Fred returns home, where he is greeted by his pet dinosaur-dog named Dino, his wife Wilma, and their daughter Pebbles)
NC (voiceover): So Fred goes home to his family, Wilma, played by Elizabeth Perkins, a CG Dino, and I swear to God, one of the Olsen Twins.*
(A shot of Pebbles playing with her doll cave is shown with the credits “With Mary Kate [and] Ashley Olsen” is shown over it while the Full House theme music is heard)
- She's actually played by Elaine and Melanie Silver who, curiously enough, are also twins.
NC (voiceover): So Fred confesses to Wilma that he took some money out to help the Rubbles, as Wilma, it turns out, is very proud of him.
Wilma: What you have just done for the Rubbles is the sweetest, most generous thing I ever heard.
(She and Fred kiss)
NC (voiceover): This will be one of the many scenes that goes totally nowhere.
(We see Fred hold Wilma and bring her down before we cut to a view of the live-action city of Bedrock)
NC (voiceover): Oh, for God’s sake, that’s not the set! It’s the Happy Meal toys on display!
(Betty Rubble (played by Rosie O’Donnell) is pacing around in a waiting room, while Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Pebbles sit nearby)
NC (voiceover): Uhh…no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Rosie O’Donnell should not be the live-action version of Betty. That’s incredible. I mean, it’s like...
(Two images of Rosie O’Donnell and the cartoon Betty are shown side by side)
NC (voiceover): BOOM! Nothing in common! Instant missing of the idea! Quite outstanding, actually!
(The Live-action Betty giggles. Next, the Rubbles adopt a young boy named Bamm-Bamm, who doesn't speak and was raised by wild mastodons, and is initially difficult to control because of his super strength, as Big Audio Dynamite’s version of “Rock With the Caveman” plays)
NC (voiceover): So they adopt a kid that looks like…oddly enough, a real caveman…and decide to clean him up and make him look like Jake Lloyd. Of course, in keeping with the cartoon, the kid is stronger than life, and they end up calling him Bamm-Bamm.
(Cut to the montage with Barney and Bamm-Bamm playing catch with a ball. Barney inadvertently throws the ball at Bamm-Bamm’s face, making Bamm-Bamm throw the ball back; the hard throw causes Barney to fly backward into Fred’s backyard, where Fred is relaxing in a hammock)
Barney: (to Fred) Wow! Heh! What an arm!
(He throws the ball back, cut back to NC)
NC: You know, these scenes are so rushed, I keep expecting a commercial logo to pop up in the corner!
(Cut back to film where the montage of the Rubbles attempting to bond with Bamm-Bamm continues as we get the image of Cocoa Pebbles cereal box and the caption “Taste the Cocoa” shown over the scenes)
Fred (from a Cocoa Pebbles cereal commercial): Post Cocoa Pebbles cereal. Part of this complete breakfast!
(The next scene shows Fred winning a bowling tournament at the bowling alley, and in honor of his victory, Barney gives a speech)
NC (voiceover): So they go ahead and recreate the bowling scenes from the show—It’s not funny, but I’m sure they felt like they had to—as Barney reads a poem that he’s written about his best friend Fred.
Barney: “Since I was just a lad of ten, I’ve had the very bestest friend. But for my friend, this special part is what’s behind his ribs: his heart.”
NC: Come on, save Jewel’s poetry for later.
Fred: (goes to shake Barney’s hand) That was beautiful, Barn.
Barney: (shakes hands back) I meant every word of it, Fred.
Fred: Care to join me in a cold one?
(Cut back to NC, imitating Fred)
NC: Come on, Barn! Let’s celebrate with a Winston cigarette!
(Cut to one of the infamous Winston’s cigarette adverts featuring the Flintstones)
Fred: ♫ Winston tastes good like a… (flicks lighter twice) …cigarette should! ♫
(Cut back to film. Fred later goes home, only to find, to his shock and annoyance, Wilma's mother, Pearl, is there)
NC (voiceover): So he comes home only to find that Wilma’s angry mother is there, played by Elizabeth Taylor.
Pearl Slaghoople (Taylor): He robs your nest egg to bail out that little troll next door, while my daughter has to wash her clothes in the river.
NC (voiceover): How does one accept the fact that she was once Cleopatra and now she’s in The Flintstones?
NC: Eh, I suppose it can work backwards, too.
(A Photoshopped image of the Cleopatra movie poster is shown with Wilma’s cartoon face superimposed over Cleopatra’s face, and the theme music from Cleopatra is played briefly. Cut back to film, where Fred and Pearl argue with each other, with Fred declaring his intention of being a somebody, before Pearl leaves. The next day, Fred and Barney are having lunch at work when Cliff comes in to make an announcement)
NC (voiceover): So after another, oh, two minutes of a scene that doesn’t go anywhere, we cut to the next day where their boss Cliff has an exciting announcement.
Cliff: (addresses to the employees) Today, I am here to formally announce the creation of Slate and Company’s executive placement program. (An orangutan raises its hand in the air as if to ask a question) Hold your questions, please. (The orangutan puts its hand down)
President Koopa (from the original Super Mario Bros. movie): A monkey!
Cliff: An aptitude test will be given, granting one of you the opportunity to crawl out of the primordial ooze and BE somebody! A vice president at Slate and Company!
NC (voiceover): Ah, yes, I remember when my boss at my old job used to come down and spontaneously offer the vice president seat on one of the lower class.
NC: Unfortunately, I didn’t get it. But I showed him!
(Cut to old footage of NC at his old job standing up before a group of employees in a lunchroom and removing his shirt with the quote “I QUIT” written on his chest. cut back to film.)
Cliff: Good luck, and may the best biped win.
(As Fred thinks about the new vice president opportunity, a thought bubble appears next to him with an image of him dressed richly and holding two bags of money with dollar signs on them)
Fred: (thinking) An executive? This is my chance to be somebody.
(Cut back to NC looking confused)
NC: (looking confused with a frozen smile) Thank you for that…brief journey into Fred’s psyche?
(Cut back to film where the next day, Wilma and Betty talk with each other about the upcoming exam while hanging out some washing)
NC (voiceover): Meanwhile, Wilma and Betty talk about the excitement of their husbands taking the exam.
Betty: You know, Wilma, if Fred scores the highest on that test, you’ll be able to hire someone to do your laundry for you.
Wilma: If Fred scores the highest on that test, I’ll have to hire someone to revive me. (Betty giggles)
NC (voiceover): That’s right, laugh! It’s the only reason you got this goddamn role, so you might as well exploit it as much as you can!
(Wilma and Betty laugh)
NC (voiceover); (mocking their laughter): Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee!
(Some time later, the day of the exam arrives, and all the workers, Fred and Barney included, listen to Cliff as they prepare to take the exam)
Cliff: Welcome. You will have one hour to complete the exam. Please carve all answers with a well-sharpened Number 2 chisel.
(Cut back to NC imitating Cliff again)
NC: The first part of the exam: Riding the Sandworms!
(Cut to another clip from the original Dune with Paul Atreides riding a Sandworm through the desert, then cut back to NC)
NC: Okay, okay, okay, I’m… I’m done with those jokes.
(Cut back to film where the exam begins, but all throughout, Fred struggles to give the correct answers, as Barney only gives correct ones.)
NC (voiceover): So they take the test as Fred finds he had a real tough time answering all of the questions.
Cliff: Please slide your answer slab into the numbered envelope provided.
NC (voiceover; as Cliff): Yes, please slide your big hunks of rock that you had to write on into the thin paper-like objects that probably would have been a lot easier.
(Barney, who did well in the exam, sees how badly Fred did, and, remembering his vow at the bowling alley to pay back his friend, switches his test paper with Fred's, allowing Fred to win and receive the promotion)
NC (voiceover): So Barney feels guilty for Fred and—because he’s such a good friend—decides to switch the exams around. So, of course, now Fred is mistaken for the smartest man in the group, because he apparently scored the highest on the test, which is already kind of weird. Barney was the smartest guy there? Really?
(An image of Albert Einstein and the cartoon Barney are shown with a mathematical equal sign between them)
NC: Huh. Who knew?
(Cut to an earlier scene with Cliff and Sharon Stone discussing about the exam results)
Cliff: Flintstone? No, this can’t be right! He must have cheated. He’s dense, he’s witless…
Stone: He’s perfect.
NC (voiceover): Actually, how does this plan work? They’re looking for the biggest moron to be a patsy by hiring the smartest person that the test determines?
(Cut back to NC.)
NC: That’s like saying, “We gotta find the dumbest person who can't put anything together!
(He picks up a piece of paper to look at it)
NC: Let’s look at this “MacGyver” fellow.”
(The next day, Fred enters the Slate and Co. building for the first time, where he is warmly greeted by Cliff)
NC (voiceover): So Fred is hired into the big leagues as Cliff proudly shows him around.
Cliff: (speaks while bringing Fred into an elevator and ride up it together) Any gravel brain can shovel rock down in the quarry. We interface, Flintstone. We strategize…
NC (voiceover): You know, I can’t figure out if these sets are extremely clever or rejected theme park attractions.
(Fred is then shown his new office)
Fred: This is my office? This is my chair? My desk?
(Sharon Stone walks by to pose against one side of the office doorway)
Stone: Am I interrupting?
(Cut back to NC)
NC: (as Fred) Is that my ho?
(Cut back to film)
Cliff: Fred, I’d like you to meet your new secretary, Miss Sharon Stone.
(Cut back to NC, who leans back in his chair to press his hands against his forehead in pain)
NC: Oh, ow! OW! OW! That joke hurt too much! OW!
(Cut back to film)
Stone: (to Fred) Can I get you anything? Coffee?
Fred: Sure.
Stone: (leans forward and asks softly) How would you like it?
(Cut back to NC)
NC: (starts to speak but then looks around in uncertainty as he does so) Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….
(Cut back to film)
Fred: In a cup?
(Cut back to NC)
NC: Good answer!
(Cut back to film, while settling in his new office, Fred meets his very own Dictabird)
NC (voiceover): He also comes across a bird who plays back everything he says, voiced by Harvey Korman.
Dictabird: It was I, your Dictabird.
Fred: Dicta-what?
Dictabird: Dictabird! Read my beak! (caws) “Cliff, let’s play golf. We can prioritize, conceptualize, and, uh…tenderize.”
(Cut back to NC, imitating the Dictabird, moving his arms like an audio animatronic)
NC: I will be your guide, on the Flintstones ride.
(Cut back to film, where in order to test Fred’s willingness to do whatever he says, Cliff gives his first executive order to Fred, which is to dismiss Barney)
NC (voiceover): But there is one downside to his fame. It turns out he has to fire Barney, because apparently, he scored the lowest on the exam, which, of course, Barney switched.
(That night, a surprise party, planned by Barney and Betty, is held for Fred, and is attended by many of his friends)
Barney: (hands a new suitcase to Fred as a gift) Congratulations, big guy!
Fred: Barney, I can’t accept this. (He hands the suitcase back)
Barney: (pushes the suitcase, getting Fred to reconsider) Sure, you can!
Fred: (shoves the suitcase back) No, I can’t. Take it back.
Betty: Don’t you like the color?
Fred: (to Barney) You’re fired.
Record Player Bird: Fired?!
(Fred takes his party hat off and leaves the scene. Cut back to NC imitating Barney, pretending to hold the suitcase)
NC: I guess it was the wrong color.
(Cut back to film. After Fred leaves the room, with Wilma and the Rubbles quickly following, Pearl attempts to continue the mood of the party by starting a conga line. Later, outside the house, Fred and Barney speak with each other)
NC (voiceover): So after another, oh, two minutes of a scene that ends on nothing*, we cut to Barney and Fred talking outside.
- (Actually, there's only 18 seconds of the party shown before we cut to the next scene)
Barney: Don’t worry about me, Fred. I’ve been working in that quarry since it was only eight feet deep.
Fred: Attaboy!
Barney: There could be a whole new world opening up for me.
NC (voiceover): Boy, he’s sure taking that “Best friend firing him” thing pretty well, isn’t he? Did we miss a scene?
Barney: Hey, Fred, there’s just one thing I gotta know. After all these years, how come they’re canning me?
Fred: You got the lowest score, pal.
NC (voiceover): So, yeah, Barney finds out that he’s a total fuck-up for not realizing that he’s a genius, as we cut to our next scene with—(Cut to a little children’s park that’s called "Jurassic Park") OW! OW! Joke hurting me! OW!
(Cut to Wilma and Betty shopping with Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles running around a jewellery store)
Betty: (while Wilma is posing with a fancy dress on herself) Wilma, that is beautiful. (giggles)
Pebbles: (to Bamm-Bamm) You can’t catch me, Bamm-Bamm!
Wilma: Well, I have always wanted a Halstone original.
(Betty giggles)
NC (voiceover): (as Betty): Wilma, is it stranger still being friends even though your husband FIRED my husband? (as Wilma) I don’t know. I’m still wondering how we go to the bathroom in this crazy world.
(While chasing a woman, Bamm-Bamm's club ends up striking a crystal plate, causing a chain reaction that destroys all the crystals, much to Betty's horror. Soon, other money troubles force the Rubbles to rent out their home, to which the Flintstones invite them to stay with them)
NC (voiceover): (normal): So Bamm-Bamm destroys a bunch of priceless crystals that bankrupts the Rubbles, which means now they have to live with the Flintstones in order to get by.
(Cut to Fred and Barney outside barbecuing)
Fred: Flintstones and Rubbles under one roof.
Barney: Yeah, but, Fred, you know it’s only temporary.
Fred: It better be. (Silence comes between them at first before he starts laughing and Barney joins in)
(Cut to a scene from The Big Lebowski)
Walter Sobchak: I’m talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude! Across this line, you do not!
(Cut back to film. While Fred and Barney continue laughing, Dino sneaks a piece of steak from the barbecue and walks away with it)
Fred: Hey, Barn, you like your steak rare?
Barney: Yeah.
Fred: (points to where Dino is) That one’s yours.
(Dino then squeals and runs away as Barney chases after him)
Barney: Hey, hey, stop! Come here, you purple rodent!
Fred: Hey, Barn! Don’t forget to wash that off before you eat it!
NC (voiceover): Yeah, enough of that shit. Let’s cut to another Halle Berry sex scene.
(Back at work, Sharon Stone flirts with Fred in his office with Stone lying on her back on the desk and looking up to him; Wilma and Pebbles walk in on the scene. Note: This scene comes before the scene showing the Rubbles moving in with the Flintstones)
Fred: (stands up) Wilma! What a surprise! Oh, that’ll be all, Miss Stone. I’ll sign those documents and place them on your desk.
Stone: Whatever you want. (She walks out of the office in a flirtatious manner)
(Wilma slaps Fred in the chest with the back of her hand to get him to stand straight and focus)
Wilma: Your secretary is very attractive.
Fred: Really? I hadn’t noticed.
Wilma: I’ve come to talk about the Rubbles' troubles. It’s gotten so bad, they’ve had to…
NC (voiceover): Well, look at that! Another scene that didn’t seem to go anywhere! He flirts with Halle Berry and it doesn’t affect the plot at all. And wouldn’t you know it? This scene also happens to be about two minutes long! That seems to be the pattern of this movie: start a scene, have it go nowhere, and then disappear after two minutes. That’s all this movie is; just a collection of unfunny two-minute scenes, one after another! Seriously, Halle Berry should just come out in the middle of a scene and be like…
(Cut back to NC as Halle Berry)
NC: Guys, I’m really sorry, I know this movie is hard to sit through, but, uhm…here. (Pretends to open his jacket as if to flash the audience, then closes it) Did that help? I hope that helped. That’s all I got. Look, just bear with it; there’s only an hour left, it’ll be over soon. (whispers) It’ll be over soon.
(Cut back to film. Later, Sharon Stone goes to see Cliff after having a heartfelt conversation with Fred)
NC (voiceover): But Berry is concerned, because Flintstone is starting to question the choices that Cliff is making.
Stone: I’m worried, Cliff. He’s smarter than we thought. (Cliff chuckles while clipping his toenails) He’s been asking a lot of questions.
(Cut back to NC)
NC: You mean the guy you actually tested the smartest is actually asking smart questions? (Sarcastically laughs) Ah-HAH! Would’ve seen that coming.
(Cut back to film. After Cliff gives him a bonus to keep his mind off work, Fred spends the new few weeks using his newfound wealth to live a big luxury lifestyle with Wilma, though this hinders their relationship with the Rubbles, who are beginning to resent the Flintstones and their new lifestyle)
NC (voiceover): But Cliff throws more money at him, as this, of course, turns Fred into a greedy self-centered jerk. Kinda like the producers of this movie.
(Weeks later, Fred, Wilma and Betty are eating at a restaurant, where Barney is working as a busboy. Barney then confronts Fred over him recently dismissing all the company's workers, an act Fred was tricked into thinking he was giving them a vacation, but in truth, he fired all of them)
Barney: Fred! Did you hear what happened to everyone at the quarry today?
Fred: Yep!
Barney: (to Betty and Wilma) He fired them!
(Betty and Wilma gasp)
Fred: I didn’t do that.
Barney: You did, too! It’s all over the TV!
Wilma: Fred!
Fred: Wilma, who are you gonna believe? Me or some busboy? He’s just jealous of my hard-earned success!
(Cut back to NC)
NC: Wow, what a Flints-hole.
((Cut back to film where the ensuing argument between Fred and Barney results in Barney telling the truth about the switched tests. Shortly after, the Rubbles move out of the Flintstones' house, much to Wilma's dismay)
NC (voiceover): So after Barney and Betty decide to leave, Wilma decides she’s pretty angry at Fred, too. (As Wilma shuts the front door, the camera pans right to a table lamp that is in the shape of a woman’s leg) Hold it. (He freezes the footage and does a close-up on the lamp) Is that the Christmas Story lamp?
(Cut back to NC)
NC: (beat) …I don’t get it.
Fred: Who needs the Rubbles?
Wilma: I do. I don’t need…this necklace. (She rips her stone necklace off her neck) You know, I don’t need this lamp. (She goes over to shove the lamp off the table)
Mr. Parker (from A Christmas Story): NADDAFINGAH!!!
Wilma: And I don’t need… this television set.
Fred: Not the TV! (Wilma pushes the TV forward, and it crashes to the ground causing a little explosion on the back of it)
(Cut back to NC)
NC: (gasps) No! We didn’t figure out a funny way to explain how that thing has electricity to make it function yet!
(Cut back to film. Soon, Wilma and Pebbles also leave for Pearl's house, leaving Fred, who is calling to them, behind)
Fred: Once around the block, you’ll realize the folly of your ways and you’ll come crawling back!
(Cut to a scene from Superman the Movie )
Zod: You will bow down before me! Both you, and then one day, your heirs!
(Cut back to film. After a scene showing the Rubbles attempting to survive in the middle of a desert, Fred goes to the quarry, where he discovers Cliff's plan to swindle the company of its vast fortune, pin the theft on him, and flee. At that time, Cliff had already manipulated the events to make it look as if Fred stole the money, forcing Fred to go on the run. Wilma and Betty see this on the news and break into Slate & Co. to get the Dictabird, the only witness who can clear Fred's name)
NC (voiceover): So after—gasp!—another two minute scene that goes nowhere, Flintstone becomes a fugitive, because Cliff has framed him for embezzling money. Yeah, because when I think of the story of The Flintstones, I think of embezzlement plots. But Wilma has an idea, as…she suddenly loves him again, I guess…as she gets the bird to tell everybody the truth.
Wilma: (to the Dictabird) You are the only one who can help clear my husband.
Dictabird: My, my, what a delicious irony. Thank you for sharing it with me. Now, let me share something with you. (He seemingly blows a raspberry at Wilma, though no tongue is sticking out)
(Cut back to NC)
NC: (as the Dictabird) If the animatronics could make my tongue stick out, that'd be very insulting!
(Fred is soon discovered and captured by a mob of all the fired workers, who take him, as well as Barney to a gallows pole)
NC (voiceover): So an angry mob finds Flintstone and tries to hang both him and Barney, after Barney confesses that a lot of this was his fault, too.
Fred: (to Barney) I want you to know that if I had to have someone hanging next to me, I’m glad it’s you.
Barney: I guess switchin’ them tests didn’t turn out much like I planned, huh, Fred? Story of my life.
NC (voiceover): (as Mob Person #1): Uhh, anyone know why we’re not hanging them yet? (as Mob Person #2) I don’t know, something about character development. (as Mob Person #1) In this movie? (scoffs) That’s a load.
(Wilma and Betty arrive with the Dictabird, who explains everything to the mob, and Fred and Barney are released as a result. Unfortunately, this turn of events incurs the wrath of Cliff, who breaks into the Flintstones' home, kidnaps Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, and leaves a note for the Flintstones and the Rubbles to find, saying he'll trade the children for the Dictabird)
NC (voiceover): (normal) But Wilma and Betty come just in time as they have the bird tell everybody what happened. Unfortunately, Cliff finds out and decides to kidnap Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm unless he gets the bird back.
(The next day, at the quarry, Fred, Barney and the Dictabird confront Cliff)
Fred: First, we want our children.
Cliff: Of course. (He shows them to where Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are tied to an assembly line that is high above where Fred and Barney are standing; Pebbles screams) Now, give me the bird.
(Cut back to NC)
NC: Gladly. (He blows into his right thumb and gets his middle finger to raise up before flipping off at the camera with a smile)
(Cut back to film. Fred lets the Dictabird go and approaches Cliff)
Dictabird: (to the camera) I should have signed with Disney. They never would’ve allowed this sort of thing to happen. (sighs)
(Cut back to NC)
NC: I don’t know. Killing off innocent... (A clip of The Lion King in which Mufasa falls to his death while Simba screams "NO!" is shown briefly; voiceover) ...animals seems to be like a fetish for them.
(Cut back to the movie. Despite being given the Dictabird, Cliff activates the assembly line with the children tied on it anyway, before attempting to flee)
Pebbles: [Help,] Daddy!
(Bamm-Bamm struggles to break free from his ropes)
NC (voiceover): Well, now wait a minute! We’ve seen Bamm-Bamm lift heavy furniture, SMASH through a stone wall, and yet he can’t break through a simple rope? What, is rope like his kryptonite? Is he allergic to hemp?
(Barney attempts to use a catapult in hopes of being able to reach the kids and launches himself high)
NC (voiceover): (as Barney): Science of Wile E. Coyote, don’t fail me now!
(Barney ends up crashing toward the side of the cliff. Barney eventually manages to make it and lands right in front of the kids)
Bamm-Bamm: Hi, Da-da. (Pebbles gasps)
Barney: (smiles) You did it! You called me Da-da!
(Cut back to NC)
NC: …I guess that was a plot thread we didn’t explain very well!
(Cut back to film. Eventually, Barney rescues the children. Meanwhile, Fred finds himself confronted by Cliff, who is holding a pellet gun)
NC (voiceover): So Barney saves the kids as Flintstone has the final showdown with Cliff.
Dictabird: (stands behind Fred as Cliff aims his gun at him) Oh, Mama.
(Sharon Stone uses a bag of money to hit Cliff on the back of the head, making him collapse forward to the ground; Sharon enters in on the scene)
Sharon Stone: Will there be anything else, Mr. Flintstone?
Fred: No, Miss Stone. Take the rest of the day off.
(Cut back to NC, imitating Fred again)
NC: As well as your top. No, no, no, just…wait for Swordfish.
(Cut back to film. Fred manages to destroy the machine, while Cliff, having his schemes foiled and now exposed, once more attempts to flee, until he is suddenly petrified by a new grey substance falling from the destroyed machine. Later, the charges against Fred are dropped, and Mr. Slate meets up with the reunited Flintstones and Rubbles)
NC (voiceover): So Fred destroys the machine as a whole bunch of new material called concrete covers Cliff, burying him alive. Of course, the cops finally arrive just as everything wraps up, and the CEO looks over the destruction.
Mr. Slate: (gestures to Cliff's body covered in hardened concrete) How did this happen to Cliff?
Fred: Mr. Slate, I’m sorry.
Mr. Slate: Sorry? I LOVE this stuff! You’re a genius. You are hereby promoted to president of the entire concrete division!
(Cut back to NC)
NC: (as Mr. Slate) You’re…obviously a murderer, but that’s okay! Apparently, I like hiring psychos here.
(Cut back to film. Despite this new opportunity, Fred decides to decline the offer, instead deciding to go back to his normal job and his normal life with his family and friends. The film ends with a reenactment of the show's closing credits sequence)
NC (voiceover): So the Flintstones get done watching the movie about themselves…which was apparently called “Tar Wars” …as they reenact even more scenes which just constantly reminds me of why the cartoon wasn’t funny.
(The film’s final shot, shown in both the cartoon and here, shows Fred banging on his front door after being locked out by his pet sabre-tooth tiger)
Background Singers: ♫ We’ll have a gay, old, time! ♫
Fred: WIILLMMAA!!!
(Cut to black before we see the following fake disclaimer: “The producers wish to thank the people of Bedrock and the Bedrock Film Commission, without whose assistance, this film could not have been made” and “No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this motion picture.”)
NC (voiceover): Oh, wow, they’re saying Bedrock was a real place, huh? Just like all great films, constantly blurring the lines of reality.
(Cut back to NC.)
NC: And…constantly failing at it. This movie sucks, this movie sucks, this movie SUCKS! (He slams his hands on his desk on the last “Sucks”)
(Clips from the movie are played again as NC delivers his final thought)
NC (voiceover): I mean, I suppose if you have little kids, they might like it, but, dude, that’s a lot of money to toss into a bunch of throwaway puns. To give credit, though, you can’t really blame Hanna-Barbera for it. I mean, if some executive came up to you and said, “Hey, we know you made The Flintstones on only five bucks and three pieces of paper. Now we want to throw millions of dollars at it.” Would you say no?
(Cut back to NC)
NC: Probably not. But look on the bright side. At least we know they never make the same mistake again. (The movie poster for the first Tom and Jerry Movie is shown briefly) …Fuck Hollywood. I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don’t have to. (He gets up to leave)
THE END
Channel Awesome Tagline—(Betty giggling)