weekend event planner

These are the 15 best things to do in Houston this weekend

This weekend will certainly be an arty one.

Laura Rathe Fine Art will have an exhibition featuring artists who figuratively and literally blur the lines. Flatland Gallery brings food to the table with a West African food art show. Reeves Art + Design presents a showcase of promising new talent. Theater fans can enjoy classics from Shakspeare and Little Orphan Annie. This week’s column also includes a breakfast celebrating local interior designers, a video game theater (yes, video games can be art too!) at City Place, and a screening of absurdist superhero parody The People’s Joker at the MFAH.

So, stick out your chin and grin and check out what’s happening.

Thursday, August 7

Laura Rathe Fine Art Houston presents Marcos Anziani, Matt Devine, and Sydney Yeager: "Line Stories" opening reception
"Line Stories" is an exhibition centering around the power of line, gesture, and movement. Highlighting the work of Marcos Anziani, Sydney Yeager, and Matt Devine, the show explores the larger narratives behind each artist’s use of line. In the work of Anziani, Yeager, and Devine, line is more than a formal gesture; it is a thread that connects memory, identity, and experience. Together, these three artists explore the emotional and structural potential of abstraction. Through Sunday, September 7. 6 pm.

Improv Houston presents Christian Johnson
Clean comic Christian Johnson will be here in Houston to give you some profanity-free laughs. Since starting his standup comedy career, the Charlotte, N.C. native has worked with some of the biggest names in comedy, including Houston’s own Ali Siddiq, Eddie Griffin, Damon Wayans, Damon Wayans Jr., Marlon Wayans, Sinbad, and more. He is known for his viral comedic videos as “Uncle Nathaniel,” which has gained over 2.5 million followers on his social media platforms. 7 pm.

Houston Shakespeare Festival: As You Like It
The search for true love takes Rosalind and Orlando on separate journeys into the enchanting Forest of Arden. In the woods, each seeks refuge and adventure only to discover a world of wit, friendship, transformation, and imagination. Come early for nightly conversations near the concession stand with HSF executive director Sharon Ott or artistic director Jack Young, as they explore Shakespeare’s work, his characters, history and background of the evening’s performance. The production will run in repertory with Henry V. 8:15 pm.

Friday, August 8

International Interior Design Association presents Leaders Breakfast
The International Interior Design Association's Leaders Breakfast is an annual event series hosted by IIDA chapters that celebrate design’s importance in the global marketplace by honoring the people who are both the legacy and future of design. The keynote speaker will be Maggie Jackson, an award-winning author and social critic with a global reach. A former columnist for The Boston Globe and foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, Jackson also has written for The New York Times and other publications. 7 am.

Flatland Gallery presents The Art of Fufu: 5th Anniversary Food Art Show
The Art of Fufu: 5th Anniversary Food & Art Show returns to Flatland Gallery, its inaugural Flatland Gallery home, for its celebration of West African culture, food, and music. Guests can taste authentic fufu samples crafted by local chefs, explore vibrant food‑inspired art pieces, and groove to live Afrobeat music. Whether you’re a foodie, an art lover, or just curious about African culture, this is an event you don’t want to miss. Entry is free, but an RSVP is required. 7 pm.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents The People’s Joker
This reimaging of the “classic coming-of-age story” Joker follows an unconfident, closeted trans girl as she moves to Gotham City to make it big. As mainstream success eludes her, she unites with a team of misfits on a collision course with the city’s fascist caped crusader. Helmed by writer, director, editor, and star Vera Drew using her own life experiences as a basis for the film, The People’s Joker (shown in glorious 35mm!) is a deeply personal journey that is as much documentary as it is parody. MFAH projectionist Baird Campbell will introduce the film. 7 pm.

Stageworks Theatre presents Annie
Little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy. Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie is a worldwide phenomenon that was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Through Sunday, August 17. 7:30 pm (3 pm Sunday).

Saturday, August 9

DexaFit Grand Opening
Wind down your summer by kicking off your health goals. DexaFit The Woodlands is hosting its grand opening this weekend, featuring a DJ warm-up, Orangetheory workout, live demonstrations, giveaways, and wellness vendors. RSVP & attend to be eligible for 25 giveaways, discounts and free DEXA scans. All attendees will get 10% with participating vendors in the month of August. 8:30 am.

Burmalicious X Underground Creamery cafeteria pop-up
CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners Suu Khin and Josh DeLeon are teaming up for a one-day only pop-up at PX Cafe in Bellaire. In an Instagram post, Khin promises a menu that includes “rice, curries, and vibrant sides like the kind you'd find at a street food stall in Yangon, a Bangkok night market or a Singapore hawker center.” Tickets, $60, are available at the link above. Seatings at 11 am and 12:30 pm.

FLUX School of Art and Reeves Art + Design present FLUX SHOW 2025
FLUX School of Art and Reeves Art + Design invite you to this annual showcase of emerging talent. This one-day exhibition presents a curated selection of paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works that reflect FLUX’s unique blend of traditional technique and cultural exploration. Guests will enjoy mystery art blind boxes featuring exclusive student pieces, opportunities to meet the artists, and complimentary snacks and refreshments. Noon.

Regina Spektor in concert
Anti-folk singer/songwriter/pianist Regina Spektor has released eight albums in her career, most recently Home, Before and After in 2022. Her 2002 self-released album, Songs, received an official release on Warner Music in 2024. Let’s hope Houstonians will have a nice, good time enjoying the music of Spektor this weekend – and we won’t have any problems like the drama she received at a recent Portland show. 8 pm.

The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Shawn Barker’s uncanny resemblance to the original Man In Black revitalizes the true character and spirit of Johnny Cash himself, one of America’s greatest musical icons. The show features Barker in character as Cash, walking the audience through each era of Cash’s life and music, including hits like "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk The Line," "A Boy Named Sue," "Hurt" and "Ring of Fire," complete with a full backing band. 8 pm.

Sunday, Aug. 10

City Place presents Video Game Theater
Experience non-stop action as a high-tech video game theater rolls into City Place for an epic day of gaming fun! Featuring the latest consoles and top games (Super Mario Bros., Call of Duty, NBA 2K, etc.), the complimentary activation from Gulf Coast Gamers is perfect for players of all ages and skill levels. Bring your friends, challenge your skills, and dive into the ultimate gaming adventure—completely free. Noon.

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents The Parent Trap Movie and Drag Show
While Lindsay Lohan will be back on multiplex screens this weekend with the legacyquel Freakier Friday, Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown will screen the 1998 Disney remake that launched her career, during an evening that can only be described as “summer camp.” Kick off the evening with a drag show that’s high drama, high fashion, and just the right amount of mischievous chaos. Then, settle in for the movie – complete with a fencing match, some Oreos and peanut butter, and the dream of getting your parents back together. 6:15 pm.

Joy Yvonne Jones presents Cleopatra
Cleopatra is a cinematic play that fuses live performance with pre-recorded film elements to tell the story of a modern Black queen navigating power, love, and legacy. With a powerful blend of classical language and contemporary poetry, the production offers a fresh, resonant take on Cleopatra’s journey through a distinctly Black lens.The event is part of a two-stage recording process: a closed-set performance designed for clean cinematic capture, followed by the live performance in front of a studio audience. 7 pm.

Photo by Michael Ma

Join Suu Khin for a cafeteria pop-up on Saturday.

weekend events event-planner

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie 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.

movies film