Weekend Event Planner

These are the 6 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

After a three-month break, there are enough in-person events in and around Dallas to put together an honest-to-goodness roundup. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic will require adjustments, with most of the events being enjoyed from cars, but at least the opportunity is available to get out and about once again — don't forget your mask.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you're looking for something do that doesn't involve leaving the house, you can also find virtual events like Theatre Three's production of The Immigrant on the calendar.

Thursday, June 25

USA Film Festival
The first big in-person event in Dallas since events were forced to cancel or postpone, the 50th annual USA Film Festival will feature 25 separate free programs, including narrative features, documentary features, short film blocks, retrospective screenings, and more. Notable screenings will include Out Stealing Horses starring Stellan Skarsgård and Tesla starring Ethan Hawke as electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla. Screenings will take place through Sunday at Angelika Film Center Dallas, although you must call the festival to reserve tickets in advance.

Friday, June 26

Jurassic Quest Drive-Thru
Jurassic Quest, the dinosaur exhibit that features ultra-realistic, life-size animatronic dinosaurs, is adapting to the new world we live in to offer a drive-thru experience in Dallas. Visitors will be able to go on a quest with an online audio tour that will take them throughout the exhibit, where they will encounter some of the largest dinosaurs to ever roam the earth. The event will take place this weekend and July 1-5 outside of the Tower Building at Fair Park.

Prism Movement Theater presents Everything Will Be Fine
Prism Movement Theater, in collaboration with the Latino Cultural Center, will present Everything Will Be Fine, an innovative drive-in dance-theater experience in the parking lot at Latino Cultural Center. The performance is about a woman learning how to deal with a new world and her well-meaning (if slightly clueless) friends after experiencing an unthinkable loss. Packed into 45 minutes, Everything Will Be Fine is designed to be experienced safely in the current pandemic. The show will play June 26 and 27, and July 10 and 11.

Cinema Pop-Ups
Cinema Pop-Ups is an event designed to give the feel of the classic drive-in movie theater while still adhering to the safety protocols necessary during this time. Featuring films like Edge of Tomorrow, Ready Player One, and Shazam!, the series will be in the parking lots of Town East Mall in Mesquite (June 26-July 12) and The Star in Frisco (June 28-July 12). Cars will be spaced at least 8 feet apart, and visitors will have the ability to stream audio to their own personal mobile devices. Part of that series, but wholly its own thing will be...

Saturday, June 27

A New Kind Of Concert: Garth Brooks
Country star Garth Brooks is putting on a show without ever having to leave his home. Brooks will broadcast a special live concert filmed exclusively for this event, which will be the largest ever one-night show to play at outdoor theaters. Taking place at both The Star in Frisco and Town East Mall in Mesquite, tickets are good for standard passenger cars or trucks, with up to six people per vehicle; RVs and limousines will not be permitted. Parking will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, and, like all of Brooks' concerts, the show is expected to be full.

Sunday, June 28

Ro2 Art Gallery presents "My Corona" opening reception
Ro2 Art will present "My Corona," a group exhibition that examines how society responds to an unprecedented crisis. "My Corona" delves into the disruption of everyday life, as well as the underlying societal issues that have been brought to the forefront since millions of people in isolation, many unemployed, became increasingly tuned-in to the world around them. The opening reception will have limited attendance (via Eventbrite, 10 visitors per timeslot), and masks will be required for entry. The show will be available for view by appointment only through July 31.

Prism Movement Theater will present Everything Will Be Fine in the parking lot at Latino Cultural Center, June 26 and 27 and July 10 and 11.

Photo courtesy of Prism Movement Theater

Prism Movement Theater will present Everything Will Be Fine in the parking lot at Latino Cultural Center, June 26 and 27 and July 10 and 11.

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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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