San Antonio's official fireworks celebration will not happen until 2021.
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Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's 4th of July is going to have a lot less sparkle. On Tuesday, June 16, the city announced that the Official City of San Antonio Fourth of July Celebration and fireworks show at Woodlawn Lake Park is canceled.
Due to social distancing measures and the increasing number of coronavirus cases, the city said it made the decision out of an"abundance of caution to help slow the spread of COVID-19."
“We have to remain vigilant to contain this virus. The actions we take now will ensure that we are all around for holidays and celebrations next year,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg in a release. “We can still celebrate responsibly this year by practicing physical distancing or wearing a face covering or mask when keeping a distance isn’t possible.”
The free, family-friendly event has been a staple of summer thanks in part to its dazzling evening fireworks display. San Antonio joins a growing list of major Texas cities, including Austin and Houston, who have canceled their signature 4th of July events due to the global pandemic.
"While we’re disappointed that we won’t be hosting a celebration this year, we know this is the best decision for the health and well-being of our community during this COVID-19 environment,” said Mary Jane Verette, President and CEO of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, in a release.
The release also notes that city parks and trails will remain open over the holiday weekend, and encourages all patrons to maintain at least six feet of distance while using them.
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.
