Weekend Event Planner

These are the 8 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

The slate of events in and around Dallas this weekend is split evenly between local and national performers. On the local side, you can enjoy classical music, theater, a holiday celebration, and ballet. On the national side will be a highly personal theatrical show, two big-name comedians, and a country music superstar.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, February 15

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique"
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present trombonist Jörgen van Rijen under the direction of Maestro Gustavo Gimeno. Selections for the concert, which will be put on four times through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center, will include Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, "Classica," the U.S. premiere of James MacMillan's Trombone Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique."

Eisemann Center presents PostSecret: The Show
PostSecret: The Show is an immersive, poignant journey through the humor and humanity of personal stories we’d rather keep to ourselves, but on rare occasions, share with others. Three actors and a guitarist use projected images and videos to guide the audience through crowd-sourced narratives revealing the true stories behind the secrets. There will be five performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Ochre House Theater presents The Woman Who Knew Too Much
Ochre House Theater is presenting the world premiere of The Woman Who Knew Too Much, about a woman with no memory of who she is or where she comes from. Who knows her, and how did she lose her memory? Or is she a spy, undercover, trying to solve a mystery with many clues, shady characters, and few answers? The play, which opened on February 10, will run through March 3 at Ochre House Theater.

Friday, February 16

Ron White in concert
Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White first rose to fame as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour phenomenon. He's a classic storyteller who relays tales from his life, ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to sharing stories of his daily life. He'll put on four performances through Saturday at Majestic Theatre.

Improv Addison presents Joel McHale
Joel McHale has become one of the most sought-after comedians and actors in the industry, having served as host of The Soup for 12 years and starring on Community for six seasons. He recently starred as former Community co-star Chevy Chase in Netflix’s A Futile & Stupid Gesture, and his Netflix talk show, The Joel McHale Show, will premiere on February 18. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Alan Jackson in concert
Country singer Alan Jackson is one of the biggest stars of the industry in the past 30 years, hitting the big time with his 1990 sophomore album, Here in the Real World. None of his subsequent 14 albums have landed outside the top 5 on the country charts, and 11 of them went to No. 1, including his most recent, 2015's Angels and Alcohol. He'll take his fans on a tour of his greatest hits during this concert at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Saturday, February 17

Crow Collection of Asian Art presents Chinese New Year Festival
2018 is the Year of The Dog, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art is getting ready for one amazing paw-ty at its 19th annual Chinese New Year Festival. Organizers are shaking things up and bringing the festivities to NorthPark Center, where they will celebrate with art activities and demonstrations, dog-themed booths, food, fireworks, and a main stage filled with a list of talented performers, old and new.

Avant Chamber Ballet presents "Beauty and Bach"
Avant Chamber Ballet returns with a triple bill of works from the 19th, 20th, and 21st century, all with live music. The works will include George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, set to Bach’s Double Violin Concerto; the world premiere of Katie Cooper’s Appalachian Spring, featuring Copland's 13-member orchestra suite arrangement; and Aurora's Wedding — Sleeping Beauty Act 3, featuring Tchaikovsky. There will be performances on both Saturday and Sunday at Moody Performance Hall.

Ron White will perform four times at Majestic Theatre, February 16 and 17.

Photo courtesy of Ron White

Ron White will perform four times at Majestic Theatre, February 16 and 17.

event-planner

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

---

Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

movies film