Retro News

Retro trip starring The Golden Girls TV show comes to Dallas theaters

Can you identify these four Golden Girls by name?

Courtesy photo

A movie theater experience that's rife with '80s nostalgia is coming to town: The Golden Girls, the vintage TV series, is coming to the big screen.

"Forever Golden! A Celebration of the Golden Girls" will be a two-night experience featuring five episodes from the TV series, screening at movie theaters nationwide, including more than 30 theaters around Dallas-Fort Worth.

For those who've miraculously never seen a re-run of the show — which airs continuously on the Hallmark channel and is also available for streaming on Hulu — the series follows Miami homeowner Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan), joined by Rose Nylund (Betty White) and Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur), brought together by an ad for roommates posted by Blanche in a grocery store. The three are joined by Dorothy's feisty Sicilian mother, Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty).

It premiered in September 1985 and ran for seven seasons with 180 half-hour episodes.

The release says that this special event will feature some of the series' most memorable episodes, as follows:

"The Engagement" (Pilot aired - September 14, 1985) – The pilot centers on Blanche who has fallen in love, raising the possibility that her boarders will have to move out in the event of a marriage. Of course the wedding is called off when Blanche discovers that she has become involved with a bigamist and finds comfort and love from her dearest friends.

"The Flu" (aired Mar. 1, 1986) – A week before an awards ceremony, Blanche, Dorothy and Rose each come down with a nasty flu, which compounds their arguing over who will win a prestigious award.

"The Way We Met" (aired May 10, 1986) – One night after watching Psycho, the girls find it hard to sleep so they stay up and reminisce about how they all came to live with one another.

"Ladies of the Evening" (aired Oct. 4, 1986) – The house is fumigated and the girls move into a Miami Beach hotel. Previously, Blanche had won three tickets to see the opening of Burt Reynolds new movie and passes to the party held afterwards where they could meet him. However, on the evening of the opening, the hotel is raided and they mistaken as prostitutes. Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose are dragged off to jail.

"Grab That Dough" (aired Jan. 23, 1988) – Sophia manages to get tickets for the ladies to be contestants on their favorite game show, Grab That Dough. Enroute, the airline loses their luggage and they are forced to sleep in the lobby of the hotel that "lost" their room reservations. To top it off, their purses get stolen. Arriving on the set, Blanche and Dorothy team up with the Kaplan Brothers, returning champions, because Rose and Sophia are "dead weight." To their surprise, Rose and Sophia answer all the questions correctly.

"There’s a reason The Golden Girls was nominated and won so many comedy awards. It's just that funny," says Ray Nutt, Fathom Events CEO. "This celebration of the hilarious show is a treat for existing fans as well as a whole new generation to experience this classic sitcom."

Fathom is a distributor of content to movie theaters in North America owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc., and Regal Cinemas, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group. The company delivers a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries.

"Forever Golden! A Celebration of the Golden Girls" will play in movie theaters on Tuesday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 21 at 7 pm. Tickets are $16.24 and can be purchased online at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website (participating theaters are subject to change).

It'll appear at the following movie theaters on Tuesday, September 14:

Cinemark Allen 16 921 State Highway 121, Allen
AMC Parks at Arlington 18 3861 S. Cooper St., Arlington
MT Bedford 2404 Airport Fwy., Bedford
Cinemark 14 Cedar Hill 280 Uptown Blvd., Cedar Hill
AMC Northpark Center 15 8687 N. Central Expwy., Dallas
Cinemark 17 with IMAX 11819 Webb Chapel Rd., Dallas
Regal Galaxy 10 11801 McCree Rd., Dallas
Cinemark 14 Denton 2825 Wind River, Denton
MT Denton 916 W. University Dr., Denton
Ridgmar 13+Xtreme 2300 Green Oaks Rd., Fort Worth
MT Hulen Mall 4920 S Hulen St., Fort Worth
Regal Fossil Creek 11 6100 N. Freeway Service Road East, Fort Worth
Cinemark Alliance Towne Center 9228 Sage Meadow Trail, Fort Worth
Frisco Square 5655 Frisco Square Blvd Frisco
Movies 16 Grand Prairie 220 E. Westchester Pkwy., Grand Prairie
Tinseltown Movies 17 Grapevine 911 State Hwy 114 West, Grapevine
AMC Highland Village 12 4090 Barton Creek, Highlands Village
North East Mall 18 1101 Melbourne Rd., Hurst
Vista Ridge Mall 2401 S. Stemmons Freeway, Lewisville
Cinemark 12 Mansfield & XD 2041 N. Highway 287, Mansfield
Cinemark North McKinney and XD 1701 N. Hardin Blvd., McKinney
AMC Mesquite 30 19919 IH 635, Mesquite
Cinemark Central Plano 10 1818 Coit Rd. Plano
Cinemark West Plano & XD 3800 Dallas Pkwy., Plano
Cinemark Legacy & XD 7201 Central Expwy, Plano
Cinemark 14 Rockwall & XD 2125 Summer Lee, Rockwall

For a complete list of theater locations and screening locations for Tuesday, Sept. 21, visit the Fathom Events website (participating theaters are subject to change).

tv movies

Movie Review

The Invite delivers smart, sexy laughs with an all-star cast

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film - which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century - has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples - the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis - turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights - and occasional bawdiness - make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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