Weekend Event Planner

These are the 11 best things to do in Dallas this Labor Day weekend

There will be a nice mix of big and small events in and around Dallas this weekend. On the big side will be visits from national stars like Marc Anthony, The Offspring, and Jeremy Piven, as well as a music festival. On the local side will be the opening of a new comedy club, two new theater projects, a symphony performing the score for a popular movie live, and more.

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

Thursday, September 2

Dallas Comedy Club Grand Opening Week
Dallasites now have another option for some laughs with the grand opening of Dallas Comedy Club in Deep Ellum. The venue will celebrate their opening over the course of six days through Labor Day, with the entertainment lineup including stand-up, improv, open mics, live music, karaoke, and more. The club will welcome a different headliner every weekend going forward.

WaterTower Theatre presents A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry's Tony Award-winning drama tells the story of the Youngers, a black family living in Chicago in the 1950s, whose yearning for a piece of the American Dream includes moving to a modest home in a majority white community. This story about identity, justice, and moral responsibility: a story about an American family that remains as powerful and relevant today as it was 50 years ago. The production will run at WaterTower Theatre in Addison through September 12.

Four Day Weekend presents Comedy for the Internet Live
Comedy For The Internet launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, creating a funny haven and giving audiences something fresh and unexpected. This event at Four Day Weekend in Dallas will bring Comedy For The Internet to life, featuring favorite segments like “Animal Facts,” “Bernard and Jodie,” “Soap Puppera,” “The Mayor,” and never-before-seen characters.

Das Blümelein Project presents A Lily Among Thorns
Das Blümelein Project is a collaborative musical organization that breaks the barriers of accessibility, foreign language, elitism, and cultural misrepresentation associated with opera and classical music. They will premiere A Lily Among Thorns, a musical production of three song cycles. The themes and poetry in each of these vignettes focus on female empowerment and strength. Woven together through the collaboration of musicians, dancers, and other local creatives, each musical cycle is a different artistic exploration of women’s stories throughout history. The production, which is part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will be at Winspear Opera House through Saturday.

Friday, September 3

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters presents Riverfront Jazz Festival
The 4th annual Riverfront Jazz Festival, presented by the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, will feature performances by honorary chair Erykah Badu, as well as Terence Blanchard, Raheem Devaughn, Rick Braun, Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, and more. The festival will take place through Sunday at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and around the AT&T Discovery District.

Improv Addison presents Jeremy Piven
You probably know Jeremy Piven from his role as Ari Gold on the HBO series Entourage or from any number of TV and movie parts over his 35 year career. But what you might not know is that he is on a quest to introduce his fans to an even funnier side with his stand-up comedy show. He'll perform four times through Saturday at Improv Addison.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Coco Live in Concert
The animated favorite, Disney/Pixar's Coco, is reimagined with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing Michael Giacchino’s beautiful score live with multiple classical guitarists on stage, while the film is projected on the big screen. The heartwarming film follows aspiring young musician Miguel as he encounters unexpected adventures in the Land of the Dead. The concert will have three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Marc Anthony in concert
Marc Anthony was one of the few national acts to perform in Dallas in 2020, sneaking in a concert on February 28. The Latin music singer been breaking down the barrier between English language and Spanish language music for 30 years. He's only had a couple of crossover hits — 1999's "I Need to Know" and 2000's "You Sang to Me" — but he's maintained his popularity thanks to his connection with his Spanish-speaking fans. He'll perform at American Airlines Center.

Saturday, September 4

Shen Yun
Shen Yun comes to Richardson for a unique artistic vision expanding theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, deeply moving journey. The production, which will have three performances through Sunday at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts, will feature one of the world’s most ancient and richest dance systems, classical Chinese dance, along with dynamic animated backdrops and all-original orchestral works.

Sunday, September 5

Crow Museum of Asian Art presents Kana Harada: "Divine Spark" closing day
Sunday will be the final day to view "Divine Spark," which features new works created by Dallas-based artist Kana Harada, at the Crow Museum of Asian Art. During this time of a global pandemic, the exhibit embodies the artist’s wishes for a peaceful and bright future for all. In this exhibition, she continues to push sculpture, foam, and acrylic and watercolor painting to new heights in her practice.

KEGL's BFD with The Offspring & Chevelle
Lovers of rock and hard rock music will be able to let loose at KEGL's BFD on Sunday, which will be headlined by the '90s/early 2000s bands The Offspring and Chevelle. The festival-style show will also feature performances by P.O.D., Candlebox, MammothWVH, and Ayron Jones. The day-long event takes place at Dos Equis Pavilion.

The Offsring will headline KEGL's BFD at Dos Equis Pavilion on September 5.

Photo by Sam Jones

The Offsring will headline KEGL's BFD at Dos Equis Pavilion on September 5.

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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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