Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Music fans will be in heaven this weekend, as four separate events will highlight songs from the past and bring back plenty of retro good feelings. They include a musical based on a '90s movie and three concerts headlined by big-name singers or bands. Also on tap is a big boat sale, a celebration of a new way to date, late-night art events, a huge soccer tournament, and a chance to be part of a world record.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Monday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, July 20

2017 DFW Summer Boat Expo
Summer has long been underway, but it's never too late to find a boat at the DFW Summer Boat Expo, the largest boating event in North Texas. This show, taking place through Sunday at Dallas Market Hall, features more than 450 boat and watercraft models from over 20 North Texas boat dealers. Attendees can find their next boat or the accessories needed to better enjoy the on-water lifestyle.

Dallas Summer Musicals presents The Bodyguard
Based on the smash hit film, the award-winning musical The Bodyguard stars Grammy Award nominee and R&B star Deborah Cox. The musical, playing at the Music Hall at Fair Park through July 30, features a host of irresistible Whitney Houston classics, including “So Emotional," “Saving All My Love," “I Have Nothing," “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and, of course, “I Will Always Love You.”

Friday, July 21

Bracket Dating App Launch Party
Bracket is a recently launched dating app that matches 16 users in tournament-based brackets based on profile preferences and a user-generated rating scale. To celebrate its launch, Bracket is hosting an exclusive launch party at Community Beer Company, featuring an open craft-beer bar, tasty bites from Abe’s Flavor Flave food truck, a DJ spinning jams all night, photo booth, swag, giveaways, and more. Use the code “CultureMap” for a $10 ticket discount.

Late Nights at the DMA / Nasher Sculpture Center presents 'til Midnight
Both the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center are offering some late night fun on Friday. The DMA's event is themed around its "Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion" exhibit, with visitors encouraged to dress up like Lady Gaga to get in for half price. The Nasher has concerts by Bryce and Sudie, followed by a screening of the great 2016 movie, Sing Street.

Saturday, July 22

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals
All has gone as the home fans had hoped, and the U.S men's soccer team, following a 2-0 win over El Salvador, will be in the Gold Cup semifinals taking place at AT&T Stadium, facing off against Costa Rica. The winner of the match on Saturday will then go on to the Gold Cup final, taking place on July 26 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

2017 World's Largest Super Soaker Battle
The 2nd Annual Super Soaker Battle at Maverick Stadium in Arlington is going for a world record. The current record held in the Guinness Book of World Records for “largest water pistol fight” is 3,875 participants. The goal for this event, which includes food, fun, games, giveaways, and more," is to get over 4,000 participants, but the actual number could be much larger. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Hope for the Warriors.

The Righteous Brothers in concert
With a string of No. 1 classics, including the most-played song in radio history, "You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’," the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield topped the charts for four decades. Although Hatfield died in 2003, Medley has kept The Righteous Brothers alive with new member Bucky Heard. The two will sing The Righteous Brothers' biggest hits at Arlington Music Hall.

Don Henley in concert
Legendary singer Don Henley is doing a special concert at American Airlines Center in celebration of his 70th birthday. The once-in-a-lifetime event will feature songs spanning Henley's entire career, from the Eagles and his vast solo catalog. Henley will be joined by several very special guests throughout the night.

Sunday, July 23

Earth, Wind & Fire in concert with CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers
Two of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands — Earth, Wind & Fire and CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers — will co-headline 2054 The Tour at American Airlines Center. 2054 The Tour features a guest DJ and a specialized seating configuration toward the front of the stage, where seats will have additional space between them to encourage audiences to dance the night away.

Earth, Wind & Fire performs at the American Airlines Center on July 23.

Photo courtesy of Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire performs at the American Airlines Center on July 23.

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Movie Review

Reminders of Him blends trauma and romance in slight but effective story

Photo by Michelle Faye / Universal Pictures

Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers in Reminders of HIm.

Texas author Colleen Hoover has gone from being a popular writer to a full-on celebrity in the 2020s, with the new film Reminders of Him marking the third adaptation of her books in just 19 months (a fourth, Verity, is scheduled for release in October 2026). All of her books that have been adapted so far - most notably It Ends With Us - are female-led stories that feature elements of romance and trauma, catnip for studios looking to appeal to the underserved demographic of women.

Leading the way in this film is Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe), who returns to her hometown of Laramie, Wyoming after spending years in prison for killing her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow), in a car accident. That relationship resulted in a daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), whom Kenna gave birth to while imprisoned and is now being raised by her grandparents, Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham).

Yearning to be a part of Diem’s life, Kenna tries to reconnect with Patrick and Grace, only to be rebuffed by Scotty’s best friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a former NFL player who now owns a local bar. In running interference, Ledger starts to become closer to Kenna, discovering that her tragic mistake shouldn’t be the only thing that defines her.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Lauren Levine, the film features mostly surface level examinations of its themes and average performances, yet it winds up being effective thanks to a willingness not to rush through its storytelling beats. The filmmakers take the slow and steady approach toward the coupling of Kenna and Ledger, setting up their bond through a series of heart-to-heart conversations that makes any romance feel earned.

The majority of the focus is on Kenna reclaiming her place in the world, and on Ledger coming to terms with the fact that the person who killed his best friend is not inherently a bad person. The film definitely could have gone deeper in its explorations of grief and anger, but the sheer amount of time it takes in addressing the characters’ doubts and fears turns out to be sufficient for a film that’s not aiming to be considered a dramatic masterpiece.

It also helps that Caswill and Levine do a solid job of establishing the variety of characters that inhabit the film. Kenna and Ledger don’t always feel like fully-formed people, but they become so through their interactions with each other and the other townspeople. Lady Diana (Monika Myers), a girl with Down syndrome who lives in Kenna’s apartment complex, and Roman (Nicholas Duvernay), Ledger’s co-worker at his bar, help to broaden the appeal of the two leads.

Monroe has, to this point, been best known for starring roles in horror films like It Follows and Longlegs. While she does somewhat well in this role, her delivery is often more flat than you’d expect for a character going through what she does. Withers thankfully doesn’t remind viewers of his recent bomb Him, demonstrating a crossover appeal that should serve him well in the future. Whitford and Graham don’t get to do much, but their combined experience gives their roles exactly what is needed.

It may sound like damning with faint praise, but Reminders of Him is a competently made film that knows how to serve its core audience without insulting anyone who may not automatically be all-in for such a story. The filmmakers don’t try to force any of the key moments down the audience’s throat, and that stands out in a genre that’s not always known for its subtlety.

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Reminders of Him opens in theaters on March 13.

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