"Modern Family" - 5 out of 5 stars
The setting was beautiful, out of a romantic film that Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) would have loved, but would make the more stern Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) would have scream. The wedding had all white accessories, with the ring bearers and flower girls twirling around innocently. One special girl believed it would be good to show her appreciation by unleashing one word so foul (its four letters and rhymes with suck) that her two daddies baulked and the audience watching laughed so hard it begged for a fourth and hopefully fifth season.
It is those kind of “Oh God! They did that! And it’s not from 30 Rock!” moments that make "Modern Family" one of the most watched and award winning comedies on TV. Winner of multiple awards, including the Emmy and Golden Globes for Best Comedic Series, the mockumentary style farce details three sets of families going through everyday life with a smile, a frown and, in Phil Dunphy’s (Ty Burrell) case, mad masseuse skills. The premise has been done before, but never with this style, flair or all out enjoyment for the actors and audience involved.
The third season brings more of the same from the show in the form of family trips, humorous conversations–occasionally in Spanish– and lessons in life. This is a good step for the series because it shows their seriousness in between making others laugh. It feels as if the writers realized that they have an open forum to: 1) make people laugh and 2) send a message to inspire others, which explains why there are more life lessons and kind-hearted family conversations this time around. This doesn’t mean that the show still can’t get raunchy, which explains Lilly’s little slip up in the recent episode, which led into arguably the season’s kind-hearted life lesson. The comedy also shows that some adults just don’t grow up, which is highlighted when Cameron and Gloria (Sofia Vergara) get into a screaming match with a little girl over a dog. Most shows fall apart when trying to juggle too many elements at once, but only when they’re not as confident in their abilities or as smart with their solutions to the problem as “Modern Family” is.
The reason for the show’s success is not only accounted for by the writers, but the pure chemistry of the cast. From the first scene in the pilot episode, it was evident the actors had a true rapport with one another. This development was nothing short of astounding, given the fact that many actors seem to clam up when working with someone strikingly different from them in their personal lives. Let’s face it, in the entertainment industry, people are miscast as much as they are typecast, so to see the closeness that Cameron and Mitchell and Gloria and Jay (Ed O’Neill) have is remarkable given, again, the distinct differences (Stonestreet is “openly straight” and Vergara is well…fabulous).
Overall, the show may get a little too maudlin in their sentiments, but with a brass and hilarious take on families, “Modern Family” just can’t be beat. That doesn’t mean their cars can’t take the brunt though, courtesy of lovely watermelon.