Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

It'll be another eclectic weekend in Dallas, with fun events taking place all across the entertainment spectrum. They include concerts from two well-known singers, a big fashion exhibit, the return of a big-time comedian, the unofficial start to baseball season, and movies for the whole family.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, January 21

Kacey Musgraves in concert
Country singer Kacey Musgraves has done nothing but succeed after finally securing a major record label deal following years in the independent music wilderness. Both of her first two major-label albums — 2013's Same Trailer Different Park and 2015's Pageant Material — hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. She'll play at the Majestic Theatre.

Colin Hay in concert with Heather Maloney
Songwriter and vocalist Colin Hay, familiar to millions as front-man for Men at Work, comes to Dallas in support of a new solo album entitled Next Year People. Hay has enjoyed a career rebirth in the 21st century thanks in part to actor/director Zach Braff using his songs on Scrubs and in his movies. Hay will be joined at The Kessler by special guest Heather Maloney.

Friday, January 22

Budweiser Clydesdales in Dallas
Everybody knows what Clydesdale horses look like, as they've been Budweiser's mascots since the early 1930s, but chances are you've rarely had the chance to see them in person. With Anheuser-Busch's annual convention in town, the horses will make multiple stops around Dallas, including Friday and Sunday at American Airlines Center.

Galleria Dallas presents Decadence: Fashions from the 1920s
Fans of Downton Abbey will be especially interested in this fashion exhibit at Galleria Dallas, which celebrates the beauty and elegance of the 1920s in a special display. The exhibit will showcase the allure of the 1920s in fashion and accessories, and is timely given the resurgence of 1920s-inspired silhouettes on the runways of designers such as Gucci, Marchesa, and Prada. The exhibit will be on display through February 28.

Patton Oswalt in concert
Like many successful comedians, Patton Oswalt has become much more well known for his acting ability in shows like Justified, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Veep than he ever was with his first love, stand-up comedy. But anybody who's seen his act knows he's still one of the funniest comics out there, as he'll prove with this show at the Majestic Theatre, which is a make-up date for one he had to postpone in September 2015.

TITAS presents BodyTraffic
TITAS presents the Dallas debut of Los Angeles contemporary dance company BodyTraffic. Named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, BodyTraffic has in just three short years skyrocketed to international acclaim. With a diverse repertoire of some of the world’s most sought-after choreographers, their debut performance at Winspear Opera House is sure to be unforgettable.

Saturday, January 23

2016 Texas Rangers Fan Fest
Now that we've all had a few months to recover from the Texas Rangers' loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2015 playoffs, it's time to start getting excited about the 2016 season. The Rangers' annual Fan Fest will be held at Globe Life Park in Arlington, featuring autograph sessions with current Texas Rangers players and coaches; on-field events; tours; pitching, hitting, and fielding clinics; and more.

Bowlmor Dallas Grand Re-opening
Bowlmor Dallas will celebrate its grand re-opening, which will include a special appearance by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, along with complimentary bowling, giveaways, and more. The newly redesigned venue features brand-new amusements, amenities, enhanced VIP areas, and state-of-the-art sound and video systems.

2016 KidFilm Festival
The annual KidFilm Festival, presented by the USA Film Festival at Angelika Film Center in Dallas, is a completely free event that features movie screenings and appearances by celebrity singers and authors. Among the activities at the two-day fest will be a sing-along with Lisa Loeb, a read-along with Taye Diggs and Shane Evans, and a preview screening of Kung Fu Panda 3.

Actor Taye Diggs will appear at the KidFilm Festival on January 23 in support of his new children's book.

Photo by Eric Williams

Actor Taye Diggs will appear at the KidFilm Festival on January 23 in support of his new children's book.

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Movie review

Tantalizing teen comedy Summer of 69 is more nerdy than naughty

Photo courtesy of Hulu

Sam Morelos and Chloe Fineman in Summer of 69.

There was a trend in the late 2010s/early 2020s of bawdy comedies featuring teenage female protagonists, including Blockers, Booksmart, and Yes, God, Yes. Those types of films seemed to go by the wayside in recent years, but they’re making a comeback with the new film Summer of 69.

Abby (Sam Morelos) is a high school senior and video game streamer who has had a crush on her classmate Max (Matt Cornett) for her entire childhood. When she learns that Max has recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend, she’s determined to make her move. With advice from a confidant that Max likes a certain sexual position, Abby sets out to learn as much as she can about it, including hiring a stripper, Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman), to help her.

Coincidentally, Santa Monica is facing a situation where the club at which she works, Diamond Dolls, will be closed if the owner doesn’t come up with $20,000 in a week. Abby, who comes from a well-to-do family, seems to offer the perfect solution, and so the two agree to a week of lessons for that amount. Naturally, all sorts of complications arise, as well as the two women forming an unexpected bond.

Written and directed by Jillian Bell, with help from co-writers Jules Byrne and Liz Nico, the film is both suggestive and innocent at the same time. For all of the talk about sex and innuendo, having the nerdy and inexperienced Abby at the center of the film ensures that the story remains relatively chaste throughout. That includes scenes at the strip club, where Bell makes the choice to show almost no nudity.

Most of the humor of the film stems from Abby’s lack of experience, highlighted by her having “sexual” fantasies about Max that never actually get to the sex part. The juxtaposition between Abby and Santa Monica is also used for laughs, although Bell and her co-writers make sure to include a side story for the dancer that makes her into a three-dimensional person.

What ultimately makes the movie succeed is the way it keeps its characters relatable. Many high school films feel the need to play into a bunch of stereotypes, but those are kept to a minimum here. Instead, Bell upends expectations by delivering honest - sometimes to a fault for the characters - dialogue that acknowledges the spectrum of sexual realities for high schoolers, a version that differs from insatiable horniness of some other teen comedies.

Morelos, one of the stars of Netflix’s That ‘90s Show, makes for a charming lead, someone who can convincingly take her character from awkward to confident over the course of the story. Fineman, best known for her current stint as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, complements her well, showing her comedic prowess in a number of physical scenes. A supporting cast that includes Nicole Byer, Paula Pell, Alex Moffat, and Natalie Morales keeps the energy level high.

Despite its titillating title, Summer of 69 is much more sweet than naughty. Like most coming-of-age movies, it’s about a girl who’s trying to figure out where she fits in the world. The answers she finds aren’t always the ones she was expecting, but in the best possible way.

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Summer of 69 starts streaming on Hulu on May 9.

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