Script 05: V.I.P. (Visitors in Philadelphia)

Logline

A wise young executive leads this company to sponsor a student foreign exchange program bringing new high school graduate Pebbles Flintstone to Philadelphia. His boss send a jealous, conniving executive to Bedrock who blows the whole deal. While surviving culture shock on both ends, this rookie and Fred Flintstone become good friends. They put the deal back on track, also leading to a degree for Pebbles and Bamm-bamm as well as a NFL contract.

Synopsis

Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble have just graduated from high school. After their ceremony, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm go to a diner to talk about their futures. Pebbles is going to college. Bamm-Bamm, despite his mother’s apprehension, is thinking about enlisting in the service because he believes he’s not smart enough and Bedrock University no longer has a football team.

Meanwhile, in a downtown office building in Philadelphia, A young and enthusiastic executive, Aaron, is celebrating a big deal he brokered for the company. Even though he is smart, he feels out of place in the thin air of the big cheeses. There is also much animosity among the executives.

While riding a bus home, Aaron reads in the newspaper about The Flintstones who have a daughter who just graduated high school. Aaron is struck with his next big idea. Aaron urges Wade (middle management) to jumpstart his idea about sponsoring a foreign student exchange program that would bring Pebbles to Philadelphia to go to college. At the same time, they would send a student (an executive) to Bedrock (for reasons that will be revealed later).

Aaron goes to Bedrock to meet the Flintstones. He has no idea what kind of culture shock he is in for. When he gets to the airport, he has to fly on a dinosaur. The taxi has no floor and the hotel has a concrete bed. Fred and Wilma are talking about Pebbles’ future when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Aaron. He explains the program he’s offering to the Flintstones. Pebbles accepts on a trial bases for the summer although Bamm-Bamm is not at all thrilled.

Wade is in his office talking to Scott (board of directors) about this idea and how it’s going. Wade takes credit for it because this is the only way (he says) the company will go for it, to Carlos who is friends with Wade. Wade assures Carlos he’ll get in on the action.

After landing in America, The Flintstones are overwhelmed by the cultural differences. Aaron takes them to a taxicab “with a floor.” They go to a hotel and get on an elevator that is not being pulled up by a dinosaur. The Bellboy laughs at Fred for their “rags”. The Bellboy hits on Pebbles. Aaron shows them around town including a club, where they stick out like sore thumbs.

Aaron goes to Wade’s office where Wade is talking to Carlos. Wade warns Aaron not to spend too much money in case this doesn’t work.  Carlos, in not so many words, is looking for Aaron to fail. Aaron doesn’t want Wade to meet the Flintstones yet because they have to get un-Bedrocked first. Aaron takes the Flintstones to a sporting goods store to get them Americanized. Then, Aaron takes the Flintstones to a bowling alley. While they are bowling, three men hold up the cashier. Fred sees them and bowls the ball towards them knocking down 2 robbers. He gets another ball and knocks down the third. The bowling alley cheers as the police handcuff the robbers. People take pictures with their cellphones.

The next day, Aaron takes the Flintstones to meet the brass. Scott (who’s in Wade’s office) shakes Fred’s hand and shows him the front page of the newspaper with Fred’s picture on it.  Scott leaves. Wade informs Carlos (whose been hitting on Pebbles) that he will be the exchange student going to Bedrock. Carlos is excited about his vacation and all the women he will have access to until he sees the plane (a dinosaur).  Aaron assures him about Bedrock, laughing as Carlos gets on the plane.

In Bedrock, Carlos handles the culture shock a lot better than Aaron. Carlos and his date, Samantha, go out to a bowling alley where they meet Bamm-Bamm. After seeing his strength and size, Carlos forgets about Wade and the company and offers Bamm-Bamm a football scholarship in America.

In America, Aaron is in Wade’s office. Carlos calls. He hasn’t found anything yet and he’s dying to come back to Philly. Aaron warns Wade that Carlos would mess this up just to spite Aaron. Wade doesn’t think Carlos would do that to him. 

Bedrock, Carlos and Samantha go on their picnic and sightseeing. They actually find the uranium that Aaron said was there (an important part of his big idea now revealed). This will help the company well into the future. Carlos calls Wade with Aaron sitting there. Carlos lies saying that Aaron’s plan is a flop, but he has a new plan of being a sports agent for Bamm-Bamm. All it will cost is a football scholarship. Wade doesn’t want to and/or can’t sink any more money into Bedrock, but Carlos wants to broker this deal himself.

Aaron tells the Flintstones that the deal has fallen through and they have go back to Bedrock. Pebbles cherishes her experience but the big city is a little too big for her. After Aaron gets demoted, he warns Wade about his back stabbing friend, Carlos.

When Aaron takes the Flintstones to Penn’s Landing for one last tour of Philly, Carlos with the Rubbles confront him. Bamm-Bamm has a football scholarship and so does Pebbles THANKS to Carlos, not Aaron. “Did you even look for the uranium?”, ask Aaron. “I was too busy getting busy to think about it”, Carlos replied. Aaron knocks Carlos into the water. Fred tells Aaron about the uranium in Bedrock and about talking with Mr. Slate.

Back in Bedrock, Fred and Aaron go to see Mr. Slate. Through a phone call, Scott makes a merger with Mr. Slate that sets up both companies for life, thanks to Aaron. Carlos gets fired, Aaron gets promoted to upper management, and Wade gets demoted for being Carlos’ friend. Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm maintain a full scholarship at Temple because of Aaron.

Four years later, in Philadelphia, the Flintstones, the Rubbles, Aaron and his wife Erica are at Pebbles’ and Bamm-Bamm’s college graduation. Later, Bamm-Bamm is drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Aaron and Erica are at a restaurant eating. Carlos is a busboy there. Carlos and Aaron see each other. Aaron and Erica leave with the newspaper still on the table. It has a picture of Bamm-Bamm with the headlines, “Bamm-Bamm turns quarterback to Rubble.