Tea Party

Dallas throws down for Downton Abbey with tea parties and costumes

The film version of TV series Downton Abbey will premiere in Dallas on September 19.

Jason Bell/Focus Features

The movie version of the Downton Abbey TV show, due to open on September 19, may not earn the box office of Brad Pitt's Ad Astra, which is opening on the same day.

But Downton shan't lack for fanfare, with tea parties and costume contests galore to welcome its arrival. Pull out your best flapper dress and get ready to have a spot at these events:

Friday, September 20
Opening Night-Special Screening/Costume Contest will take place at the Irving location of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, at 320 Las Colinas Blvd.

The event will be hosted by The British Emporium, the original U.K. food and gift store, located in Grapevine, and classical music radio station WRR 101.1 FM. Moviegoers will be greeted by staff that will seem like they came straight from Highclere Castle.

Attendees are encouraged to come in period costume, as there will be a costume contest before the movie starts. There will be prizes, special Downton Abbey merchandise available, photo opportunities, and more.

Downton Abbey Movie Premier & Exclusive Fan Party will take place at the Harkins Southlake Town Center 14 theater at 1450 Plaza Pl., in Southlake.

Hosted by Southlake Travel, it's a cozy private showing with door prizes, a best-dressed costume prize, a special Downton Abbey swag bag, popcorn, and refreshments. Doors open at 6 pm.

Tickets are $15 and are first-come, first-serve. With a small theater reserved for an exclusive movie showing, they recommend you buy your ticket now.

Saturday, September 21
Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea will go down at the Cinemark West Plano and XD theatre, to celebrate the Crawleys coming to the big screen.

Orchestrated by Chocolate Angel Cafe & Tearoom, this tea party will make guests feel like they're actual members of the Crawley clan, with free refreshments and themed fun for fans to enjoy right before they enter the theater.

Expect the flavors of a traditional estate tea-time with catered English finger sandwiches and bite-size desserts inspired by the film, along with additional complimentary hors d'oeuvre.

Themed attire is encouraged, and Cinemark is providing a photo-op for Instagram and other life-affirming social media sites.

The event will not be ticketed, and appetizers will be free to all Cinemark guests. They'll also offer specialty teas and film-inspired cocktails for purchase to enhance the nostalgia throughout the opening week of the film.

The tea begins at 2:30 pm, and the film screens at 4 pm.

According to a Cinemark spokesperson, the theater chain is hosting tea parties in only three locations: West Plano; Boca Raton, Florida; and Playa Vista, California. The response has been particularly strong in Texas, the spokesperson says. "Cinemark will be adding even more showtimes for the weekend in Plano," she says.

Sunday, September 22
Downton Abbey Tea at Historic Aldredge House is being billed as a "Downton Abbey tea fit for a queen."

It will begin with a presentation, "Entertaining Royalty at Highclere Castle," presented by Jann Mackey, Ph.D., to learn about famous people, aristocrats, and members of the British Royal Family who have visited Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey.

The talk will be followed by an elegant, seated, three-course tea, using recipes from Highclere Castle; and a tour of the Historic Aldredge House. Located at 5500 Swiss Ave., the Aldredge House was built in 1917 and serves as a premier example of Dallas' "gilded age."

Doors open at 1:30 pm. The lecture begins at 1:45 pm, and the tea begins at 2:30 pm.

Tickets are $100 and include the lecture, tea, house tour, valet parking, tips, and gratuities.

Saturday, September 28
Downton Abbey Returns: Tea Time in the Library takes place at the Grapevine Public Library. Historian Rollin Phipps will present a special lecture on the Downton Abbey series and Sheela Kadam, founder of the British Emporium, will give a short presentation on British tea.

All this will be featured in celebration of the new film. No reservation or sign-up is required for this event.

Downton Abbey Jazz Night is a big night out hosted by The Dallas Woman's Forum, a celebration of jazz music and fashion of the 1920s in Downton Abbey style.

There'll be cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, live music by Matt Tolentino and The Matt Tolentino Band, professional portrait photography by Glenn Ladewig Photography, antique automobiles on display for photos ops, a comic magician who will perform from 9-10 pm, and a dance instructor to lead guests in dance steps.

Dress is 1920s-style cocktail or black tie. The hosts promise that guests will feel as though they are being transported through time as they enjoy music and dancing at the elegant and historic Alexander Mansion, at 4607 Ross Ave. It runs from 8-11 pm. Tickets are $65.

Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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