Weekend Event Planner

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

While in-person events have been happening for a while now, this weekend might signal a true "back to normal" moment, with big concerts happening at two major venues, as well as a trio of early 4th of July events. There will also be a big film festival, a concert combining acrobatics with classical music, a significant new museum exhibition, the return of a local music institution, and more.

Below are the best to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, June 24

Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents Br'er Peach
Inspired by Southern African-American and Japanese folktales and playwright Andrew Saito’s multicultural family, Br'er Peach is a radio play that follows Momotaro, a magical Japanese boy born to an elderly Black couple after an encounter with a power-filled peach. While his mother Vonda resists the encroachment of a billionaire ogre's capitalist mega-corporation, Momo wanders the wilds of Georgia, meeting animal friends and foes along the way. Can they reunite and thrive together as a family, against all odds? The production will be available to stream at any time through July 17.

Oak Cliff Film Festival
The Oak Cliff Film Festival, taking place through Sunday, will include 23 feature-length films, with 15 of them having their Texas premiere. Headlining the festival will be opening night film Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a documentary directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots. Other notable films will include Mogul Mowgli, starring recent Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed; the 4K restoration of the lost Dennis Hopper punk classic Out of the Blue; a free 35th anniversary screening of David Byrne's Texas-set True Stories; and more. Venues for the festival will include the historic Texas Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Kessler Theater, and others.

Friday, June 25

Early 4th of July events
Most 4th of July events will take place next weekend, but a few places are getting a jump start on the holiday festivities. The City of Colleyville's Stars & Guitars on Friday features kids activities, a concert by Jo Dee Messina, and fireworks; Klyde Warren Park's Independence Day Celebration on Saturday features live music, family activities, and a pyrotechnics display; and the Market Street Allen USA Celebration will include music performances by Eli Mosley and Emerald City Band, followed by fireworks finale.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Troupe Vertigo: Circus, Dance, Theater
Fusing together elements of cirque acrobatics, classical dance, and contemporary theater, Troupe Vertigo will present a spellbinding journey through the world of artistic movement. Accompanied by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, they will highlight world-class aerial artists, contortionists, and ballet dancers. There will be two performances — one Friday and one Saturday — at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

Saturday, June 26

African American Museum presents "Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth" opening day
The African American Museum at Fair Park presents the Smithsonian Institution’s "Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth," a traveling exhibition that heralds the achievements of notable African American men from across the decades and highlights the deep parallels between past and present. It profiles revolutionary men — Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B. Du Bois, Kendrick Lamar, LeBron James, and more — who have altered the history and culture of this country. The exhibition will remain on display through September 12.

An Evening with Chicago and Their Greatest Hits
Over their 50+ year career, the rock band Chicago has racked up numerous hits, including "25 or 6 to 4" from 1970; "If You Leave Me Now," their first No. 1 hit in 1976; 1982's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"; 1984's "You're the Inspiration"; "Look Away," their final No. 1 hit in 1988; 1989's "What Kind of Man Would I Be?"; and more. All will be showcased at this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion, the first concert at the venue since 2019.

Texas Summer Jam
Texas Summer Jam, taking place at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, will feature performances from a variety of Texas singers, including Robert Earl Keen, Hayes Carll, Kat Hasty, Tristan Marez, and more on the main stage, as well as Cody Hibbard and David Adam Byrnes on the Texas Lottery Stage at the Pre-Party.

Sunday, June 27

Turtle Creek Chorale presents "Holidays Interrupted"
The Turtle Creek Chorale is kicking off the 2021 season with their first in-person performance in 18 months, and since they couldn't perform this past holiday season, the group will perform favorite holiday songs at Fair Park Coliseum. The audience is encouraged to come decked in their favorite (and seasonally appropriate) holiday attire for the free event, which will include a sing-along, as well as Fletcher's Corny Dogs, snow cones, funnel cakes, beer, wine, and soda available for purchase.

Troupe Vertigo will perform alongside the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at Meyerson Symphony Center, June 25 and 26.

Photo courtesy of Troupe Vertigo

Troupe Vertigo will perform alongside the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at Meyerson Symphony Center, June 25 and 26.

concerts museums movies event-planner holidays

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