Weekend Event Planner

Weird Al Yankovic and a giant waterslide top weekend events in Dallas

Aside from a couple of fun local events, it's all music, all the time this weekend in Dallas-Fort Worth. In fact, you could park yourself solely at Gexa Energy Pavilion and be totally satisfied with the string of entertainment that's coming to the venue.

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, August 20

Incubus and Deftones in concert with Death from Above 1979
To start off its extremely busy weekend, Gexa Energy Pavilion will host this co-headlining concert featuring Incubus and Deftones. Incubus will appear in support of two new EPs, while Deftones will be playing in advance of their forthcoming album, to be released in the fall. They'll be joined by opening act Death from Above 1979.

Friday, August 21

Def Leppard in concert with Styx and Tesla
Concert No. 2 at Gexa Energy Pavilion is a throwback of epic proportions. Headlining is Def Leppard, who are still going strong despite not having released any new music since 2008. They'll be joined by Styx, which also toured with Def Leppard back in 2007, and Tesla, the only band still currently making music, with Simplicity having been released in 2014.

Weird Al Yankovic in concert
Weird Al Yankovic is much more than just a parody artist, as he's one of only three people to have had top 40 singles in each of the past four decades. He'll play at Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie in support of his 2014 album, Mandatory Fun, which debuted at No. 1, making it the first No. 1 album of his career and the first comedy album to go to No. 1 in over 50 years.

Saturday, August 22

Slide the City Dallas
The idea of a 1,000-foot water slide in the middle of a city street certainly sounds like fun, although reports from the same event in Fort Worth in June were far from glowing. Let's hope organizers have gotten the glitches worked out, as the event, taking place on Hampton Road in West Dallas, has the potential to be one heck of an end to summer for kids and adults alike.

NorthPark Center’s 50th Anniversary
While many malls are either failing or well on their way, NorthPark Center continues to be a hot attraction for both retailers and shoppers 50 years after it first opened. The mall will celebrate its half-century with a variety of activities, including several fashion displays, music and dance from area arts groups and, naturally, free birthday cake.

Lone Star Beer Texas Heritage Festival
Another weekend, another festival highlighting both music and beer. The difference this time is that this one at Gilley's Dallas is only about one beer — Texas favorite Lone Star — and it's completely free on a first-come, first-served basis. Performing will be a variety of other Texas favorites like Old 97's, The Black Angels, Grupo Fantasma and Dale Watson.

Florida Georgia Line in concert with Thomas Rhett and Frankie Ballard
Country duo Florida Georgia Line has already had a big year in North Texas, winning two trophies at the 50th annual ACM Awards at AT&T Stadium. They come back to the area to play at Gexa Energy Pavilion in support of their 2014 album, Anything Goes. They'll be joined by opening acts Thomas Rhett and Frankie Ballard.

Sunday, August 23

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band in concert
Carrying on a decade-long tradition, Texas singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett returns to Bass Performance Hall for one night only. Lovett will bring along his dusty odes to Texas and stories about the left-of-center characters who populate it, along with his long-running backup band, His Large Band, and, of course, his wry and dry sense of humor.

J. Cole in concert with Big Sean, Jeremih and YG
To wrap up the heavy weekend at Gexa Energy Pavilion, Grammy-nominated and platinum-selling rapper J. Cole will bring his Forest Hills Drive Tour to Dallas. J. Cole has been one of the hottest rappers around since his 2011 debut, with each of his first three albums going straight to No. 1. This concert will also feature Big Sean with special guests YG and Jeremih.

Florida Georgia Line will play at Gexa Energy Pavilion on August 22 with Thomas Rhett and Frankie Ballard.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo RodeoHouston entertainers January 2015 Florida Georgia Line

Photo courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Florida Georgia Line will play at Gexa Energy Pavilion on August 22 with Thomas Rhett and Frankie Ballard.

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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.

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

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