summer 2019

A family-friendly guide to artsy and outdoor summer fun in Houston

Summer in Houston means school is out, and kids are buried in their phones, laptops, or gaming systems. With long, scorching days full of complaints of, "I'm bored," parents yearn for events and distractions to keep young minds stimulated.

For those looking for a little more than pool, water park, or theme park entertainment, here is a rundown of some fun, often free, summer activities. What better way to combat all that screen time than with some art, music, story time, and nature?

Artful days

The Art Car Museum
Houston's car valhalla continues to be a free spot for those who love seeing the souped-up, blinged-out automobiles that roll around this city when the Houston Art Car Parade happens every April. Currently, a decades-spanning exhibit called THEN and NOW is on display. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm.

The Houston Museum District
Here, myriad museums square away free days and times during these summer months. For example, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Houston Museum of Natural Science; the Children's Museum of Houston; and the Health Museum always have free hours on Thursdays. Check site for dates and times.

The Orange Show
The colorful show has several on-the-cheap spots that are worth checking out, like the Beer Can House (made of over 50,000 used beer cans) and the Orange Show Monument. Admission for both is $5 (free for children under 12), but the creative urban space Smither Park is always free. Open from dawn until dusk.

Musical merriment

Cactus Music
The legendary record store continues to be a spot where young music lovers can learn about the coolest vinyl. Families can also catch indie performers, either local or national, do small live shows right there in the store. Added value for parents: The fine folks at Saint Arnold hooks the place up with free beer. Check site for dates and times.

Discovery Green
Downtown's bustling green park will continues its Thursday concerts (presented by UH-Downtown) all through June. On the 27th, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis (aka Americana's favorite couple) will perform. 7-9:30 pm.

The Houston Symphony
The symphony keeps the summer properly classy with its ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights over at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Among the shows: Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet on June 22, Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony on June 28 and a Star-Spangled Salute on the Fourth of July. Check site for dates and times.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The MFAH will host its Music on the Plaza summer series over at the Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza. On June 28, dancer/choreographer Genene McGrath will perform with the Two Star Symphony quartet and, on August 30, poet Zachary Caballero and Handsomebeast will perform. 6-9 pm.

The great outdoors

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
The charming green space has plenty of events geared for the summer (we're most curious about this Possums and Popsicles event). It's also home to a 155-acre, urban nature preserve, featuring five miles of trails — a must for those who like hiking, walking, or just exploring. 7 am to 7 pm.

Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center
This park is where you can enjoy bicycling, T'ai Chi, bug walks, canoe trips, and more. Also, every second Saturday finds Second Saturday Settlers, where staff and volunteers demonstrate the various activities of early Texas settlers at Redbud Hill Homestead. Open from dawn to dusk.

Midtown Park
The local park has a bevy of free, outdoor fun: Zumba classes, samba classes, a pet-friendly happy hour called Yappy Hour, and more. A favorite is the Midtown Houston's Farmers Market. Shop from local farms and vendors without leaving the Loop. Visit Elizabeth Baldwin Park every Saturday to browse a fresh assortment of produce and prepared foods from a curated selection of Houston’s best farmers, bakers, and chefs. 10 am to 2 pm.

Story time
Blue Willow Bookshop
Thursday mornings are for storytime. Toddlers and preschoolers will be able to check out stories, sing songs, and enjoy an art activity. The themes change weekly, and special-guest authors might come by to read for the kiddies. 10 am.

Houston Public Library
HPL offers a summer reading program, complete with various story times going on at branches all over the city. Also look for the summer reading programs and story times over at Brazoria County, Fort Bend County, Harris County, and Montgomery County. Check sites for dates and times.

Levy Park
Along with having great outdoor activities, Levy Park also has Thursday mornings open for literature-loving families, with its one-hour Family Storytime. Held in the Children’s Pavilion, this cross-generational literacy experience is followed by a facilitated activity or craft for the whole family to enjoy. 10-11 am.

The Nature Discovery Center
Nature Story Time here happens every Wednesday afternoon. Each week, a book on a different nature topic is featured. Then, kids are invited to dabble in a fun craft or go on a nature walk. There are also live animal demonstrations, specimens to observe and touch, and more. 4 pm.

Family fun abounds at Levy Park.

Photo by Midway Companies

Family fun abounds at Levy Park.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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