weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Aside from some scattered showers, this is a good weekend to get out and about, with a worldwide comic sensation in town. Also look for a March Madness bash in EaDo (Editor's note: Go Coogs!), a few crawfish fests, a fashion-friendly pop-up, and some fun outdoor markets.

Here, then, are your best bets for the weekend. Enjoy.

Thursday, March 25

Dave Chappelle and Friends in concert
As he has proven, Dave Chappelle isn't gonna let this freakin' COVID stop him from doing stand-up — even when he comes down with it. The iconic comedian is back in Houston to once again hit us with his now-patented brand of stand-up and sage wisdom. He will also be bringing some friends along, and anyone who's been to a Chappelle show knows he has a tendency to get some special-guest comics onstage to tell some jokes. Maybe that'll happen this time around. 6 pm.

Preservation Houston presents Cornerstone Drive-In featuring The Good Brick Awards
Preservation Houston will celebrate the talented people who are using historic preservation to make Houston a better place to live during this special event. There will be a double feature: a video presentation of the 2021 Good Brick Awards for excellence in historic preservation, and a screening of Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, a film about New York activist Jane Jacobs’ 1960s showdown with ruthless construction kingpin Robert Moses over his plan to raze lower Manhattan to make way for a highway. 6:30 pm.

Friday, March 26

River Oaks District presents Jenni Kayne Airstream Pop-Up
From now until the end of the month, California-based fashion and lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne will bring their Airstream trailer to River Oaks District for six days of shopping, activations and special promotions. On Saturday, the brand welcomes local florist Composto Fiori for live floral arrangement demonstrations. Shoppers can get a Composto Fiori floral bundles gift with purchase and participate in the Jenni Kayne Easter Egg hunt. 10 am (noon Sunday).

Houston Symphony presents Esa-Pekka Salonen Conducts Bach, Beethoven & Salonen
All this weekend, world-renowned conductor-composer and current San Francisco Symphony music director Esa-Pekka Salonen makes his Houston conducting debut with a program of treasured classics with a contemporary twist. Selections will include Bach’s Prelude from Violin Partita No. 3, Salonen’s FOG, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. The Saturday performance will be livestreamed for home viewers. 8 pm (2:30 pm Sunday).

Saturday, March 27

Big Rivers Waterpark Spring Breakout Crawfest
Crawfish season is officially here, and Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures (located out in New Caney) will be cooking up a lot of them at this cajun festival. This family-friendly event will feature live Zydeco music by The Platinum Players, as well as loads of family activities included with the $14.99-per-person admission. You can learn to throw axes, shoot arrows, splash and play in Wild Isle, or surf the waves on wave pool Boca Chica Bay. 11 am.

The Wolff Den Crawfish Pop-Up at East End Backyard
If the crawfest is too far for you, check out this crawfish free-for-all hosted by The Wolff Den, a team of University of Houston students. March Madness tips off at 1:40 pm and concludes with Houston vs. Syracuse at 8:55. East End Backyard is installing a 158-foot LED outdoor screen courtesy of Espolòn Tequila for the games.

All proceeds from crawfish sales will fund student scholarships at U of H's Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. The bar also has a new, Instagram-worthy spot in the form of a "Coogs House" mural painted by the U of H Hispanic Alumni Association. The piece features UH cougar mascot Shasta and was designed by Felipe Galvan of Los Skarnales, along with artist Donkeeboy. 1 pm.

Sunday, March 28

Memorial City Farmers & Feel Good Market
The Memorial City Farmers & Feel Good Market is an outdoor experiential shopping event that will feature more than 40 local farmer and artisan vendors, offering locally curated fresh produce and foods, as well as stylish jewelry, clothing, and gifts. There will also be family-friendly entertainment including face-painting, a strolling magician, stilt-walkers, the YÜTH United Through HeARTZ performance team, music, and more. 10 am.

The Art Cellar of Houston presents The Parkway Market Days
Regent Square is continuing its calendar of outdoor programming at The Parkway with this spring flowers-themed market. The community is invited to stop by the activity and event site for a market featuring local vendors and a water coloring activity, plus music and food.

It's free to attend, and the floral water coloring kit will be complimentary for the first 50 attendees. (Kits will be priced at $35 each for the remainder of the day.) Noon.

Cheer on the Coogs in EaGo while you shuck crawfish.

Photo courtesy of East End Backyard

Cheer on the Coogs in EaGo while you shuck crawfish.

event-planner

Movie Review

New movie Friendship pairs Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in a bizarre bromance

Photo courtesy of A24

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship.

Comedian Tim Robinson has gained a cult following thanks to series like Detroiters and I Think You Should Leave, in which his brand of cringe comedy is on full display. The former Saturday Night Live writer/performer has had a few small movie roles over the years, but he’s now getting his first starring role in the off-kilter Friendship.

Robinson plays Craig, a mild-mannered suburbanite with a wife, Tami (Kate Mara), and son, Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer). Craig has a boring life that involves little more than going to his middle manager job while wearing the same clothes day after day, anticipating the next Marvel movie, and helping Tami out with her at-home floral business.

He gets a jolt of energy when Austin (Paul Rudd) moves into the neighborhood. The two men seem to hit it off, with Austin — a weatherman at a local TV channel — even taking Craig on a couple of impromptu adventures. But when Craig commits a couple of faux pas at a group gathering at Austin’s house, their bond starts to fracture.

Even though the film is written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, it’s clear that Robinson had a big influence on the style of comedy it features. There are no big set pieces with a slew of jokes coming one after another. Instead, the film forces the audience to try to vibe with the very particular type of wavelength it’s giving off, one that could almost be called anti-comedy for the way the laughs come out of left field.

The 100-minute film is full of random comedic moments, like Steven kissing Tami on the lips, Craig being obsessed with his plain brown clothes, a group sing-along, and more. More often than not, it’s the way Craig reacts to both normal and abnormal situations that gets the laughs. The character is needy and oblivious, two traits that combine to make many of his actions cringeworthy.

Perhaps most importantly for this type of movie, many things in the story go unexplained or don’t make sense. Seemingly crucial elements are brought up only to fade away just as quickly, while other parts that appeared to be throwaway sections get callbacks later in the film. DeYoung and Robinson are determined to keep the audience on their toes the entire time, never knowing what to expect next.

Robinson has the perfect face for a story like this, one that’s bland enough to blend into the background but memorable enough to sell the jokes. His demeanor is also excellent, never becoming too expressive, even when he gets angry. With long hair, a mustache, and a certain swagger, Rudd is a great complement to Robinson. Only in a film like this would an everyman like Rudd be considered the suave and cool one.

There will be some that will see Friendship and come away wondering what the hell they just watched. But anyone who goes in knowing that they’re about to witness a comedy that challenges their sensibilities will likely have a great time.

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Friendship is now playing in select theaters.

movies film