Pearl is debuting its first ice-skating rink as part of this year's holiday festivities.
Photo courtesy of Pearl
San Antonio's Pearl is adding a frosty new attraction to its holiday lineup next year. The future site of the district’s mini golf course at 1100 Springs Plaza will transform into a sparkling outdoor ice-skating rink from November 28 through January 4, 2026.
The attraction, located next to Stable Hall and across from Ladino, will shimmer with twinkling lights and festive music, offering a classic winter experience at the uber-popular Alamo City destination.
On opening day, visitors can pair their skate session with Pearl’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, happening from 3:30 to 7 pm in Pearl Park. The event is one of San Antonio’s most beloved traditions, and an opportunity to snap a few Christmas card-worthy photos.
Then, on November 29, Pearl is debuting its newest district-wide event, the Taste of Pearl Festival. From 3-8 pm, revelers can enjoy live music, culinary pop-ups, art, shopping, and special vendor markets on the property. Otto’s Ice House will also join the festivities with seasonal drinks, and many of Pearl’s signature restaurants and retailers are expected to participate.
"The holidays are a time for gathering and joy, and Pearl is honored to be part of those traditions," says Pearl CEO Mesha Millsap. "The addition of a new ice-skating rink offers a beautiful way for the community to come together, celebrate, and create lasting memories in the heart of San Antonio."
Tickets to the ice rink at Pearl range from $20-$28 and include skate rental. Most skate sessions last an hour, except for the 45-minute last skate at 9:15 pm each evening. The rink opens at 11 am on weekends and 4 pm on weekdays.
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.
