Bradley Cooper, who plays Chris Kyle in American Sniper, is coming to town for a benefit screening of the film at Cinemark West Plano on January 14.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Plano gets a shot of Hollywood glamour when the Cinemark theater at Parker Road and the Tollway hosts a benefit screening of American Sniper on Wednesday, January 14, featuring an appearance by the film's star, Bradley Cooper.
Cooper, who plays Iraq war veteran Chris Kyle, will be joined by Kyle's widow, Taya, and military veteran Jacob Schick. The harrowing film details the exploits of Kyle, who earned the nickname "The Legend" after becoming the most prolific sniper in military history through four tours of duty in Iraq.
This is the rare celebrity event where the public is welcome, as tickets are available to anyone willing to pay $250 — or more — for a seat in the theater. Cooper, Kyle and Schick will walk a red carpet and meet with the press at 6:30 pm; the film starts at 7.
Of course, you're not just paying for a ticket to the movie and a chance to see Cooper in person. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, which aims to enrich the family relationships for military personnel and first responders, who often find their bonds tested by war and other atrocities.
The film opened in limited release on Christmas Day, playing in New York, Los Angeles and at the AMC NorthPark in Dallas — a nod to the Texas-born Kyle. This screening is being held in advance of the film's wide release on Friday, January 16. Tickets for the screening can be reserved online.
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.
