Weekend Event Planner

These are the 12 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

There is absolutely no shortage of things to do this weekend in and around Dallas, from pro golfers strutting their stuff, three separate festivals highlighting different subjects, four big-name concerts, and much more.

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, May 19

2016 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship
The annual AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, taking place through Sunday at the Four Seasons Las Colinas, is a homecoming for one of the best golfers on the planet, Jordan Spieth. Other participating players include Stuart Appleby, Jason Dufner, Ernie Els, Charley Hoffman, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, and more.

2016 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards
The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, presented by Tequila Herradura, celebrates the top talent in the Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant and bar community. The swanky event is being held at the Hall of State at Fair Park and emceed by celebrity chef Dean Fearing. Expect food and drink samples, live entertainment, and, of course, our famous swag.

2016 Soluna Festival
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra kicked off its annual Soluna Festival earlier this week, but there are plenty more events happening through June 4. Events occurring this weekend include a concert by Itzhak Perlman and Emanuel Ax at Winspear Opera House, a Spring Celebration dance performance at Wyly Theatre, and more.

Friday, May 20

2016 Toyota Texas Fest
The Toyota Texas Fest, held, naturally, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, offers live concerts from top country music artists like Big & Rich, Lee Brice, and Kip Moore; an outdoor consumer expo; the Texas Parks & Wildlife Division Outdoor Adventure Area; a Kids Zone; and the 10th anniversary celebration of the Toyota Texas Bass Classic — the championship of professional bass fishing. It runs through Sunday.

2016 Wildflower Arts and Music Festival
Wildflower is an eclectic arts and music festival featuring six performance stages, the Wild Marketplace, the Taste of Texas Food Garden, the family-friendly Kidz Korner, and a whole lot more. Among the headliners are the Toadies, Guess Who, Peter Frampton, Hoobastank, Alien Ant Farm, Soul Asylum, Survivor, John Waite, and more. The festival, going through Sunday, takes place in Galatyn Park, next to Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Journey in concert with the Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason
Journey and the Doobie Brothers, both of which got their starts in San Francisco, bring the San Francisco Fest 2016 tour to Dallas. They are joined by Dave Mason at Gexa Energy Pavilion.

Saturday, May 21

House of DIFFA 2016
House of DIFFA: Circo Rouge, presented by Nancy C. Rogers and Richard R. Rogers, is an extraordinary fashion experience that provides an exciting mix of philanthropy, theatrics, and DIFFA/Dallas’ legendary runway production for close to 2,000 patrons. Taking place at the Omni Dallas Hotel, all proceeds go toward grants for HIV/AIDS service organizations in North Texas.

Jason Aldean in concert with Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses
Jason Aldean is one country superstar who loves Dallas, as he seems to come back to the area every year. Aldean plays at Gexa Energy Pavilion in support of his forthcoming new album, which contains the recently released single "Lights Come On." He is joined by Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses.

Sunday, May 22

Eagles of Death Metal in concert
For many people, Eagles of Death Metal were in an unfamiliar band prior to last November. But their association with the terrorist attacks in Paris has made them well-known. The band's name is a misnomer, as they actually play standard rock songs. They play at the House of Blues Dallas in support of their 2015 album Zipper Down.

Authors Live: Dr. Buzz Aldrin
It's been nearly 47 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first two men to walk on the moon, and that achievement still holds the power it did in 1969. Dr. Aldrin speaks at Highland Park United Methodist Church about his two new books: No Dream is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked on the Moon, and the children's book Mission to Mars.

Making a Murderer's Dean Strang and Jerry Buting: A Conversation on Justice
Almost everybody with access to a Netflix account got hooked on the 2015 documentary crime series Making a Murderer. Two of the key figures from that series, defense lawyers Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, are capitalizing on their newfound notoriety with a nationwide tour to talk about the Steven Avery case and its broader implications, as well as a discussion on the larger topic of the American criminal justice system. The event takes place at the Majestic Theatre.

The Lumineers in concert with Soak
Folk rock group the Lumineers came to prominence in 2012 on the heels of the success of Mumford & Sons, gaining tons of fans with songs like "Ho Hey." They've finally released their follow-up album, 2016's Cleopatra, which they highlight in this concert at the Bomb Factory, with support from opening act Soak.

See Jordan Spieth at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, taking place May 19-22.

Jordan Spieth/Facebook

See Jordan Spieth at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, taking place May 19-22.

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Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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