Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

While a few Dallas holiday events have already started, this is the weekend when things kick into high gear. In addition to three big new holiday events, there's a major art fair, three new theater productions, great stand-up and improv comedy, a revolutionary breakdance group, and a symphonic Veterans Day celebration (preceded by a slew of deals and discounts being offered to veterans).

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, November 11

‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market
‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market, hosted by the Junior League of Collin County, spans over four days and features over 130 merchants with unique holiday and home décor, clothing and accessories, gifts, jewelry, children’s items, gourmet food, and more. The event, taking place at Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Allen through Sunday, raises funds for educational and community projects and programs.

Dallas Art Fair
The Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading global and local galleries. The fair, taking place at Fashion Industry Gallery, starts with the Collector Preview for Patron Pass Plus holders on Thursday, followed by main event, taking place Friday through Sunday.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden presents Holiday at the Arboretum
Holiday at the Arboretum has a new treasure to get visitors in the holiday spirit: the Dazzling Musical Tree, a 50-foot-tall tree animated with more than 42,000 lights that also plays merry holiday tunes. The holiday festival, taking place at the Dallas Arboretum through December 31, also features The Christmas Village, DeGolyer House with The Artistry of the Nativity, and The 12 Days of Christmas.

Rover Dramawerks presents Kosher Lutherans
Rover Dramawerks concludes their 21st season with the comedy Kosher Lutherans by William Missouri Downs. Hanna and Franklyn desperately want to have a child of their own. They meet a young, naïve, pregnant girl from Iowa who offers to let them adopt her out-of-wedlock baby. Just before the adoption papers are signed, they discover she doesn’t know they’re Jewish. In a desperate attempt not to blow the deal, the couple decide to pose as Lutherans to appeal to the girl's apparent Midwestern sensibilities. The production will run through November 20 at Cox Building Playhouse in Plano.

Friday, November 12

Eisemann Center presents Menopause The Musical
Menopause The Musical is a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived "The Change." Set in a department store, four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain, and much more. The production will have three performances through Saturday at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Patriotic Pops Veterans Day Celebration
Dallas Symphony Orchestra will highlight conductor Jeff Tyzik as part of this uplifting tribute honoring the nation’s men and women in uniform. Patriotic Pops salutes veterans with favorite songs and anthems, and the U.S. Naval Academy will share their internationally acclaimed Glee clubs and their Pipes and Drum Band with Dallas. The concert will have three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

45th Annual Lakewood Home Festival
The 45th Annual Lakewood Home Festival will feature six beautiful homes in the Lakewood area. After the Auction Party on Friday, the festival will take place between 11 am and 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can also participate in The Candlelight Tour on Saturday from 7-9 pm, which offers an intimate setting for guests to sip wine and meet the homeowners. Candlelight Tour tickets include access to the daytime Home Tour, as well.

LIT AF Tour featuring Martin Lawrence
The LIT AF Tour, hosted by Martin Lawrence, will feature performances by some of the top Black comedians touring today. Performers at the event, taking place at Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie, will include Rickey Smiley, Hannibal Buress, Donnell Rawlings, DeRay Davis, B. Simone, and Clayton Thomas.

TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Rubberband: Ever So Slightly
Founded in 2002 by Victor Quijada, Rubberband has not only redefined breakdance, but it has also opened the way for new creators fascinated by this dance form. Athletic, exciting and inventive, the evening-length work, Ever So Slightly, explores behavioral mechanisms and the reflexes we develop every day dealing with the world around us. There will be one performance Friday and one Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience
Potted Potter takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books into 70 hilarious minutes. The show, which will have three performances through Saturday at Coppell Arts Center, features all the favorite characters, a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props, and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.

Saturday, November 13

The Trains at NorthPark
The Trains at NorthPark is the largest miniature train exhibit in Texas with more than 750 railcars. Visitors to the exhibit will experience watching the trains circle 1,600 feet of tracks rolling from coast to coast on a whimsical journey across the United States. The trains travel from the fall foliage of New England to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge with stops along the way in New York, Arizona, Colorado, and more. The exhibit will be open through January 2, 2022 at NorthPark Center.

Whose Live Anyway?
Whose Live Anyway? is 90 minutes of hilarious improvised comedy and song all based on audience suggestions. Cast members Jeff B. Davis, Joel Murray, Ryan Stiles, and Greg Proops put on witty scenes they invent before the audience's eyes. The show, taking place at Majestic Theatre, showcases some of the improv games made famous on the long-running TV show as well as some exciting new ones.

Sunday, November 14

Chvrches in concert
The Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches may seem to have a unpronounceable name (it's actually just a stylized u, not a v), but they've risen above their unique name to deliver some great music. Since their debut, they've released four albums, including the just-released Screen Violence, that have yielded a number of hits like "Leave a Trace" and "Get Out." They'll play at South Side Ballroom.

Holiday at the Arboretum will be at the Dallas Arboretum through January 2, 2022.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum

Holiday at the Arboretum will be at the Dallas Arboretum through January 2, 2022.

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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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