Event planner

Alicia Keys and St. Patrick's Parade top the best events in Dallas this weekend

This is an absolutely huge week in Dallas events. It includes not one but two music festivals, an appearance by one of history's most important figures, a concert by a music superstar, and two of the most anticipated annual events in Dallas. It may be spring break for many students, but with so many great events to choose from, this weekend feels like a vacation for everybody.

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 14

2013 Savor Dallas
The ninth annual food and wine festival kicks off Thursday night with a look at new and upcoming restaurants in Trinity Groves. It continues all weekend with various events at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Landmark Restaurant at Warwick Melrose Hotel, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas Arboretum and Irving Convention Center. The ICC hosts the signature International Grand Tasting on Saturday night.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in concert
It's hardly hyperbole to say that there would be no such genre as alternative rock were it not for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Over the course of 30 years and 15 albums, Cave and his band have set the bar for similar acts with their acclaimed music and sold-out tours. The band is back to accomplishing both yet again, as it stops by McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus in support of its latest album, Push the Sky Away.

Friday, March 15

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth presents Henry Kissinger
It's not often that non-entertainment events make an appearance on this list, but it's easy to make an exception for someone like Henry Kissinger. It's been 36 years since Kissinger, who will turn 90 in May, left the national politics stage after serving as Secretary of State for both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, but his influence on foreign policy and other issues remains strong. In this event at the Hilton Anatole, Kissinger speaks about both his current and former roles.

Dallas Theater Center presents The Odd Couple
Dallas Theater Center rarely has overlaps in its programming, but it happens this week as Red, which is playing on the ninth floor of the Wyly Theatre, wraps up its run just as The Odd Couple gets started in the main performance hall. Neil Simon's play has become an iconic touchstone since its debut in 1965, wringing comedy out of mismatched roommates Felix and Oscar. The Odd Couple runs through April 14.

Saturday, March 16

2013 Dallas St. Patrick's Parade and Festival
St. Patrick's Day is officially March 17, but who wants to wait to party on a Sunday? This parade, even under a new name, is one of the best annual events in Dallas, charting a roughly two-mile course down Greenville Avenue. The event has been criticized in the past for its debauchery, but organizers promise this year will be more family-friendly. Speaking of family-friendly, Snoop Dogg puts on a concert at the end of the parade.

2013 South by So What?! Music Festival
As you could surmise, the organizers of this festival aren't exactly fond of that other festival taking place around 200 miles to the south. Going on all day at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, the festival features more than 80 rock and metal bands, including All That Remains, The Ready Set, Attack Attack!, Woe, is Me and Chunk! No Captain Chunk!

Sunday, March 17

2013 Spillover
South by So What?! isn't the only alternative to making the trek down to Austin. Spillover has so many band it spills over into two different venues, Sandbar Cantina and DoubleWide, that sit on the outskirts of Deep Ellum. Sandbar has two different stages, with music starting at 1 pm. DoubleWide's stage starts rockin' at 3:30 pm. But feel free to sample both, as your ticket allows you access to both places.

Alicia Keys in concert with Miguel
This is one of the rare cases where you have to wait until the end of the weekend to attend the best event. Alicia Keys has been a huge star since her debut more than a decade ago, and she only continues to get bigger. Miguel had a breakout performance at this year's Grammy Awards. Don't miss the opportunity to see the stars at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, one of the best and most intimate (for its size) venues in the area.

Alicia Keys performs with Miguel at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on March 17.

CaleGrantonMusic.com

Alicia Keys performs with Miguel at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on March 17.

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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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