weekend event planner

These are the 14 best things to do in Houston this weekend

Yes, Sunday will be the day where everyone will watch the Super Bowl to either the Chiefs and Eagles go at it once again – or just check out all the expensive commercials.

Still, lots of fun things are going down in H-Town this weekend: the return of Cirque du Soleil, film screenings that celebrate two recently deceased artists, a home and garden show, an event where you can play with Legos, and live stand-up from the guy who gave us “Whazzup!”

Thursday, February 6

Cirque du Soleil: ECHO
Experience the magic of Cirque du Soleil: ECHO, this 20th Big Top Show where poetry, stagecraft, daring acrobatics, and cutting-edge technology come together to explore the delicate balance between people, animals, and the world we all share. Fueled by the power of invention, the hope of the youth, and the importance of empathy, Cirque du Soleil: ECHO invites the audience to participate in a universe of color, wonder, and infinite possibilities. Through Sunday, March 9. 7:30 pm (3:30 and 7 pm Saturday; 1 and 4:30 pm Sunday).

Houston Cinema Arts Society presents Claudine
In this 1974 working-class dramedy, Claudine (Diahann Carroll) is a single mother in New York City who endures an exhausting commute to the suburbs where she works as a maid for wealthy families. She meets Roop (the late James Earl Jones), a charismatic but irresponsible garbage collector. Romance quickly ensues, but Claudine doubts that their relationship is good for her six children. After the screening, college professor/film critic Ralph Nickerson will discuss the evolution of Black cinema. 7:30 pm.

Punch Line Houston presents Kyle Kinane
Kyle Kinane is a comedian from Addison, Illinois. As a comedian, he has been on Conan, The Tonight Show, Netflix’s The Standups, and three of his own hour-length specials on Comedy Central. As an actor, he’s been in the Judd Apatow series Love and truTV’s Those Who Can’t. As a voice-over actor, he was the former voice of Comedy Central for eight years and played Bullet on the Netflix series Paradise PD. 7:30 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9: 15 pm Saturday).

Friday, February 7

Houston Home + Garden Show
The Houston Home + Garden Show is a place to discover the country's best new renovation ideas, interesting products, and the preeminent resources for home improvement and landscaping. The spring 2025 show will feature HGTV celebrities Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis, Destin Noak (aka the Texas Garden Guy), a plant market presented by PlantCon International, Petopia, food trucks, adoptable furry friends from the Houston Humane Society, and more. 11 am (10 am Saturday; 9 am Sunday).

Czech Center Museum Houston presents "Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island" opening night
From 1845 to 1924, the Port of Galveston was a major gateway for American immigration. This exhibition is the first of its kind to explore Galveston’s legacy as a port of entry on a national scale. It brings to light the little-known yet rich era of Galveston’s history and its importance to the growth of Texas and the American Midwest. The exhibition highlights enduring themes in the history of immigration including the dangers of the journey, making a life in a new land, navigating bureaucracy, and confronting discrimination. Through Tuesday, April 28. 6 pm.

Asia Society Texas presents The Big Swim
The Big Swim celebrates Lunar New Year with a one-act opera. In this retelling of the Jade Emperor and the Great Race — a fable that sets the order of the 12 animals in the zodiac calendar — the animals learn to put aside fierce competition to instead care for and support one another, side by side. The work will be presented as part of its Lunar New Year festivities and will be preceded by activities, including shadow puppets, calligraphy demonstrations, and an original children's dance piece. 6:30 pm (2 pm Saturday and Sunday).

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Mulholland Drive
Revered filmmaker and artist David Lynch passed away last month. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston mourns the loss of this visionary artist and presents one of his most acclaimed films, 2001’s Mulholland Drive, shown in glorious 35mm! This seductive and surreal vision of Los Angeles’s dream factory is a tale of love, jealousy, and revenge that earned Lynch the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. 7 pm (2 pm Sunday).

Saturday, February 8

Brick Fest Live
Brick Fest Live is all-in on imagination with stations and attractions designed to inspire creativity and play. Families can get hands-on with different brick challenges throughout the event as well as explore community collab builds and master creations from all over the world. The event will feature a Guinness World Record Challenge where visitors can help create a massive floor mosaic. There will also be a Giant Brick Pit where everyone can explore a play area filled with over 200,000 colorful bricks. 9 am (10 am Sunday).

The Shop Club Houston presents Midday Motors
The Shop Club Houston and Hagerty Insurance will present Midday Motors, an event that will bring car enthusiasts and brunch lovers together for a one-of-a-kind experience. Midday Motors welcomes vehicles of all makes, models, and years, offering a vibrant showcase of automotive excellence. With more than 250 parking spaces available, attendees will have ample opportunity to explore the diverse lineup of cars and connect with fellow enthusiasts who share their love for the open road. 10 am.

International Voices Houston presents Arte Puro
International Voices Houston presents Arte Puro, an organization with the mission to bring Hispanic music and art to the stage through musical fusion and artistic collaboration. This show will feature Artists-in-Residence Cecilia Duarte (mezzo soprano) and Jesús Pacheco (percussion), in collaboration with International Voices Houston musicians, performing a special recital celebrating Hispanic culture and music, including works by Manuel de Falla, Alberto Ginastera, Manuel Ponce, Javier Busto, and more. 7 pm.

Martin Lawrence: Y’all Know What It Is! Tour
Comedy legend Martin Lawrence comes to Houston as part of his first comedy tour since 2016. The Y’all Know What It Is! tour is an all-new stand-up show and fresh one-hour set where Lawrence, the man who assumed such memorable characters as Sheneneh, Tyrone, and Dragonfly Jones on his beloved Fox sitcom Martin, brings the real talk and finds the funny in everything from family to culture as only he can. He'll be joined by fellow comedians Rickey Smiley, Adele Givens, and Benji Brown. 8 pm.

Sunday, February 9

The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts presents Relaxed and Sensory Inclusive Performance: Orígenes: Voice and Percussion Through the Ages
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, in partnership with Ars Lyrica Houston, presents a sensory inclusive performance of Orígenes: Voice and Percussion Through the Ages, an exploration of Spanish and Latin American musical traditions, Relaxed and sensory inclusive performances offer a welcoming environment for individuals with sensory differences and their families to enjoy and include adjustments like modified lighting in audience spaces, designated quiet and activity areas in the lobby, sensory supports, trained volunteers, and more. 1 pm.

PlazAmericas presents “San Valentin” Valentine’s Day Celebration
PlazAmericas will celebrate Valentine’s Day early this weekend. Experience Chinelos Morelenses, a traditional dance with costumed dancers and popular in the Mexican state of Morelos, in addition to a folklórico performance (aka the traditional folk dance of Mexico). Additionally, Mariachi Perla Tapatía will perform festive and traditional Mexican music and The Milto Show will showcase a comedic performance. Fun giveaways and contests will take place throughout the event, which is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. 1 pm.

Theatre Under the Stars presents Mean Girls
Sunday will be the last day for Theatre Under the Stars’ run of Mean Girls, the Broadway musical based on the 2004 high-school comedy that made a star out of Lindsay Lohan and was written by Tina Fey, who also wrote the book for this musical. Fey collaborated with several vets in adapting her movie to the stage, including composer/husband Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and original director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon). 2 pm.

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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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