The Flintstones (film) - Plot

Plot

The film opens with a montage of scenes reflecting work at Slate & Co., with dinosaurs using rocks for quarry mines.

Cliff Vandercave (Kyle MacLachlan), the executive vice president of industrial procurement of the company, explains to his co-worker Sharon Stone (Halle Berry) that he will swindle the company and flee with its fortune, and suggests Fred Flintstone (John Goodman) to help carry out his plans, which leads into a montage of the opening credits of The Flintstones.

While Fred leaves work for the day, Barney Rubble (Rick Moranis) is overjoyed that he is about to become a father because Fred loaned him money so he could adopt a child. After returning home, Fred is questioned by his wife, Wilma (Elizabeth Perkins) about missing money from the bank account and confesses that he loaned the money to Barney so he and his wife, Betty (Rosie O'Donnell) could adopt a child. After adopting a cave boy named Bamm-Bamm, Barney appreciates what Fred did for him and is determined to pay him back. While taking the exams, Fred fails it, and is disappointed since he will not be able to give Wilma the wealthy life she used to have. To pay him back for giving him the money to adopt Bamm-Bamm, Barney (who did well on the exam) swaps his with Fred's and Fred is promoted to Vice President.

On Fred's first day as an executive, Cliff brings him to his new office. Cliff also has Stone appointed as his secretary knowing that Fred's attraction to her will lead him astray to the plot. Cliff has Fred fire Barney because of his exam score, but does his best to help Barney afterward with financial problems. Cliff proposes a new machine that will do all of the quarry work and increase the company's income. Fred is concerned about the operators losing their jobs. Cliff plans to have a fake version of the machine built and flee with the money gained from the machine, and frame Fred for it.

Fred nearly figures out about Cliff's plan, so Stone aggressively seduces him and Fred finally gives in to his desires, but is interrupted by Wilma. The Rubbles move into the Flintstones' house, causing tension between the Flintstones and the Rubbles, while the Flintstones' wealth increases. While out at a restaurant, Barney, now working as a busboy, sees on the news that Fred has fired all of the quarry operators. He confronts him about it, and their argument leads to Barney revealing that he switched their tests. The Rubbles move out of the house and Wilma abandons Fred.

Fred eventually realizes Cliff's plan and is chased by an angry mob of the unemployed quarry operators. They eventually catch Fred and attempt to lynch him and Barney once they find out it was because of him that Fred was promoted to the job. Fred and Barney reconcile while Wilma, Betty and the office dictabird arrive at the scene to explain the crime to the mob. Meanwhile, Cliff kidnaps Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm and lures Fred and Barney into a trap. Cliff attempts to kill the dictabird, but is knocked out by Stone, who had realized Cliff's eventual betrayal.

While Barney rescues the kids, Fred uses the catapult to destroy Cliff's machine, causing Cliff to be trapped in a mixture of water and crushed rocks. Stone is arrested, but Fred agrees to vouch for her. Mr. Slate (Dann Florek) proclaims his love of the substance that Cliff was trapped in, deciding to name it after his daughter Concretia, and declares the Stone Age over with its creation. Slate offers Fred the presidency of a new division in the company, but Fred turns it down in exchange for his old job back, Slate rehiring all the workers, and adding a few other improvements to the workplace he had originally desired as an executive.