Weekend Event Planner

St. Patrick's Day Parade and Miranda Lambert top best weekend events in Dallas

It's the weekend before St. Patrick's Day, so the annual parade along Greenville Avenue is an obvious choice. But the next four days are packed with other great events, including a country superstar, opera, a collision of comedy and politics, and 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, March 12

Miranda Lambert in concert with Justin Moore, Sunny Sweeney and Jukebox Mafia
Country star Miranda Lambert has been all over the big events in Dallas-Fort Worth, taking part in George Strait's final tour date and the upcoming ACM Awards weekend. But she takes center stage for this concert at American Airlines Center in support of her 2014 album, Platinum. She's be joined by Justin Moore, Sunny Sweeney and Jukebox Mafia.

2015 Cool Thursdays Series: The Molly Ringwalds
The actual Cool Thursdays Series at the Dallas Arboretum doesn't start until the second weekend in April, but this is a special spring break concert with one of the more popular bands, The Molly Ringwalds. The band, as you might guess, is obsessed with all things '80s, from costumes to songs.

Friday, March 13

Dallas Opera presents La Bohème
Many people know of Giacomo Puccini's classic opera through Rent, the thoroughly modern musical theater adaptation that won both a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Musical. But the original is equally as powerful, as the Dallas Opera demonstrates with this production, which has six performances at Winspear Opera House through March 29. Also watch for Art Con artists painting and sculpting in the lobby.

Joe Rogan in concert
Entertainment careers don't get more eclectic than Joe Rogan's. He's acted in the sitcom NewsRadio and in a couple of Kevin James movies. He's done commentary for UFC fights and hosted Fear Factor, and he currently hosts the popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. But it's his stand-up comedy that will be on display at Majestic Theatre, although his other jobs will likely come up too.

Saturday, March 14

Dallas St. Patrick's Parade & Festival
The annual St. Patrick's Parade down a 2-mile stretch of Greenville Avenue is notable for its nearly 100 floats and bands entertaining more than 100,000 people lining the route. But this year the "festival" part is more apropos, as it features a family zone and its first-ever Brew Fest. Plus, you can stick around after the parade for a concert with the Josh Abbott Band.

Klyde Warren Park presents Spring Fling
Spring doesn't officially start for another week, but this week is spring break for most area schools, and Klyde Warren Park decided to take advantage with this one-day festival. The event is vacation-themed, with different areas designed to remind you of hot spots like Venice Beach, Hawaii, South Beach and the Caribbean.

Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller in concert
We have no idea what to expect from this show featuring two bastions of conservatism, Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller. But the combination of politics and comedy, not to mention the two men's breadth of knowledge, has us intrigued for this program at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Joshua Radin in concert with Rachael Yamagata and Cary Brothers
Despite having his songs played in a multitude of TV shows and movies, folk rocker Joshua Radin has yet to truly achieve breakthrough status, which is a shame for someone of his talent. He plays at the Granada Theater in support of his new album, Onward and Sideways. He's be joined by longtime collaborators Rachael Yamagata and Cary Brothers.

Sunday, March 15

Festival de los Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks are doing a little outreach in the Latino community at this annual event, which moves to South Side Ballroom this year. The event features performances by Los Traileros del Norte and Michael Salgado, dance exhibitions, giveaways, and more.

Pulp Fiction/Reservoir Dogs double feature
The Granada is getting back to its roots as a movie theater by showing classic movies whenever they can. This Sunday double feature is for Quentin Tarantino fans, as Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are shown back-to-back. It's only $3 to get in, and there are also $3 beers and $3 shots specials for anyone who didn't drink enough at the St. Patrick's Parade.

The annual Dallas St. Patrick's Parade & Festival on Greenville Avenue takes place on March 14.

Photo by Jerry McClure

The annual Dallas St. Patrick's Parade & Festival on Greenville Avenue takes place on March 14.

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Movie Review

Dark comedy Friendship covers male bonding with copious cringing

Photo courtesy of A24

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara) and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin - a weatherman at a local TV channel - even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, there are many things in the story that go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

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Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

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