Weekend Event Planner

Here are the top 11 things to in Houston this weekend, and they're not all Super Bowl related

Super Bowl Week is finally here in Houston and here's plenty happening around the city leading up to the big game on Sunday.

While big-name Super Bowl events are happening all around town — think food, fashion and parties — there are also some spectacular non-Super Bowl-related events, too, like a concert by one of classical music's superstars and a couple of coming-of-age love stories.

Here are 11 of the top events happening this weekend around Houston, but you can view a full list of events on our CultureMap Events Calendar.

Thursday, Feb 2

The University Museum at Texas Southern presents Gridiron Glory: The Best of Pro Football Hall of Fame

Avid football fans will enjoy the traveling exhibit Gridiron Glory: The Best of Pro Football Hall of Fame on display at Texas Southern University through April. This exhibit gives visitors an up-close look at the history of the NFL, along with stories from pioneers in the game, including over 200 artifacts from the Pro Football Hall of Fame collection. There's even will an a room dedicated to the Houston Texans.

The Big Texas Party

Enjoy some of the best barbecue in the world from famed Houston spots like Ray's Real Pit BBQ Shack, Killen's Barbecue, and Feges BBQ while sipping Texas beers, bourbon, spirits, and wine at the Big Texas Party, hosted by CultureMap, ESPN Radio, and SB Nation. Texas country music sensation Bart Crow will get Silver Street Studios jumping and expect to see a large number of NFL players among the celebrities.

Love Jones, the Musical

For something non-Super Bowl related, check out the coming-of-age love story, Love Jones, The Musical, at the Hobby Center through Saturday. Tank, Chrisette Michele, Raheem DeVaughn, Dave Hollister, MC Lyte, and more join forces to tell the classic and iconic love story of Darius and Nina, whose lives collide in spectacular fashion in the upscale night club, Sanctuary, where an unassuming open mic event, quickly turns into an explosive spoken word give-and-take that leaves the audience speechless.

Houston Symphony presents Andrés conducts West Side Story

Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducts a program (also non-Super Bowl related) featuring the raucous rhythms and gorgeous melodies of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from the updated Romeo and Julie tale, West Side Story. The Houston Symphony performance on Thursday and Friday also includes music from the Americas, featuring Revueltas’ serpentine tone poem, Sensemayá, and Piazzolla’s brooding Tangazo.

Friday, February 3

Off The Field Players’ Wives Association presents 16th Annual Players’ Wives Fashion Show

Guests at the 16th Annual Players’ Wives Association Fashion Show at Tootsies can glimpse the latest fashions, mingle with current and former NFL superstars and their wives, enjoy delicious bites catered by Caswell & Co, and bid on silent and live auction items including sports memorabilia, jewelry, spa packages and more. A percentage of the event’s proceeds will benefit Off The Field Players’ Wives Association and support Houston’s homeless youth through Covenant House.

Bruno Mars in Concert

The sold-out concert at the Super Bowl pop-up Club Nomadic features the top-selling Mars, who will no doubt perform hits like "Uptown Funk," as well as selections from his new album 24K Magic. It may be worth securing admission through a ticket agency.

Saturday, February 4

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. presents Cellar-bration

This “Cellar-bration” offers visitors to Houston's hometown brewery a unique opportunity to taste some special beers before the big game on Super Bowl Sunday. Specialty small-batch beers along with previously released Divine Reserves and Bishop Barrel beers are featured.

Taste of the NFL

Extraordinary chefs from 32 NFL cities team up with Hall of Fame and current players at the Taste of the NFL's 26th Annual Party with a Purpose at the University of Houston. Besides tasting lots of good food, attendees can bid on more than 250 unique sports and celebrity memorabilia, vacation packages and other coveted auction items. The Band Perry will headline the evening, which benefits groups that fight hunger around the nation, including the Houston Food Bank.

Houston Symphony presents Yo-Yo Ma

Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform Dvorák’s powerful Cello Concerto, a masterpiece written during the time the composer spent in America. Gershwin’s jazz-influenced American in Paris will also be part of the non-Super Bowl-related program by the Houston Symphony.

Sunday, February 5

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. presents Super Beef Sunday

What better way to prepare for the Super Bowl than to enjoy some delicious Texas barbecue? Saint Arnold Brewing Co. delights meat lovers with its 4th Annual Super Beef Sunday event. Legendary Louie Mueller BBQ will be preparing and serving their finest smoked meats alongside Pinkerton’s Barbecue and Harlem Road Texas BBQ. Admission includes barbecue from all three restaurants, beer, and a Super Beef Sunday glass.

Super Bowl 51

Will the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy? More importantly to some non-football fans, what will you think of Lady Gaga's halftime performance and can Snickers pull off a live commercial without a hitch? Whether you're watching the game from NRG Stadium, at home, at a party or at one of the many bars around Houston, the biggest spectacle in America sports will be the topic of conversation all day Monday.

Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs with the Houston Symphony Saturday night.

Courtesy photo

Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs with the Houston Symphony Saturday night.

event-planner

Movie Review

Clichéd rom-com You, Me & Tuscany can't get by on Italian charm alone

Photo by Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures

Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page in You, Me & Tuscany.

The romantic comedy has become an endangered species in movie theaters, as most of those that are released these days go to streamers like Netflix. While there have been a few recent successful rom-coms in theaters, they are few and far between. All of which is to say that a movie like the new You, Me & Tuscany faces an uphill battle before it’s even released.

Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid) stars as Anna, a former culinary school student who’s struggling in the wake of her mother's death. When she has a chance meeting with an Italian man named Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) in New York, her dream of going to the Italian region of Tuscany is reignited. Using her last $500 and a plane ticket her mom bought her, she makes her way to Italy looking for an adventure.

With nowhere to stay and knowing Matteo’s villa is unoccupied, she finds a key and makes herself at home. When she finds an engagement ring soon before she’s discovered by Matteo’s family, she decides to pretend to be his fiancée. The more time she spends with them, the bigger the lie becomes, especially when she starts falling for Matteo’s adopted brother, Michael (Regé-Jean Page).

Directed by Kat Coiro and written by husband-and-wife team Ryan and Kristin Engle, the film at times feels like it’s not even trying to be good. While the set-up of the premise is okay, the story quickly turns into an eye-rolling mess when Anna shows up in Italy. Not one bit of the character’s story is believable, and even though Michael catches her in an early lie, every member of the family accepts her at face value despite the abundant red flags.

Of course, many rom-coms are not based in reality, and the filmmakers lean into the genre’s tropes, almost as if they were saying, “We know this makes no sense - just roll with it!” Surprisingly, the gambit works for the most part, as the odd pairing of an American woman, an English-Italian man, and his fully Italian family is enjoyable despite the many groan-worthy moments they produce. The sweet way in which the family brings in a woman still going through grief almost balances out the shoddy way in which the story is told.

Naturally, there are precisely zero surprises about where the plot is heading, as Anna and Michael grow closer despite knowing they should resist the other. Strangely, though, the filmmakers don’t go all-in on the budding relationship, choosing to slow-roll things save for one notable sexy scene in a vineyard. Coiro and the Engles play up the family aspect as much as the romance aspect, and that choice allows the film to survive for longer than it should have.

Bailey, a singer-turned-actor, has not yet found her stride on the acting side of things. Her line deliveries are often stilted and her timing is off in key moments. This doesn’t help her chemistry with older Page, who seems to be getting by on vibes and looks alone. The most enjoyable actors in the film are all Italian, including Marco Calvani, Isabella Ferrari, and Paolo Sassanelli.

There are glimpses of a fully successful film in You, Me & Tuscany, enough to keep it watchable for its entire 104-minute running time. But then they have the Italian grandmother say a gobsmacking line like “If you wanna tap-a that ass, you should tap-a that ass,” and you remember exactly what type of film you’re watching.

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You, Me & Tuscany opens in theaters on April 10.

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