Blu-ray Review: ‘Modern Family – The Complete Fourth Season’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Modern Family – The Complete Fourth Season’ on Blogcritics.

As ABC’s Modern Family kicks off its fifth season on the air, those who may have fallen behind last year can catch up with Modern Family: The Complete Fourth Season, available now on Blu-ray and DVD. Season four is a time of change for the family, and you won’t want to miss this important part of their lives, played out in 24 episodes.

As this season begins, Jay (Ed O’Neill) is turning 65, a milestone for the old man. What he doesn’t know yet is, he’s about to become a dad again. His wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara), isn’t sure how to break the news, further complicated by that fact that Jay’s son, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his partner Cam (Eric Stonestreet), just lost the chance to adopt a baby themselves, something they really wanted.

Don’t let the drama of the situation get you down; it sure doesn’t hurt the tone. Modern Family is a comedy, pure and simple, and even the most uncomfortable situations are played for laughs. More effective than most sitcoms at landing those gags, the talented and most-Emmy-nominated cast can take any scenario and turn it into a series of amusing bits. There is definitely character development, and sweet moments between relations, too, mixing heart and humor in a (literally) winning combination, finely polished after several years on the air.

Among the happenstances of The Complete Fourth Season, Mitchell tries to convince Cam to get a job, Claire (Julie Bowen) makes efforts to tone down her haunted house to be kid-friendly, Luke (Nolan Gould) decides to quite magic, much to the disappointment of his father, Phil (Ty Burrell), Hayley (Sarah Hyland) is arrested at college for underage drinking, the family suspects that Alex’s (Ariel Winter) new boyfriend is gay, Gloria’s hidden secrets are revealed, Claire and Cam attempt to flip a house, Jay’s New Year’s plans are ruined, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) proves challenging to parent, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) gets a surprise party, Cam directs a production of Phantom of the Opera, Dylan (Reid Ewing) moves into the Dunphy household, Jay offers Claire a job, and Phil buys an RV. And those are just some of the plots.

As you may have surmised, Modern Family works best when the family is together, and that is the bread and butter of the show. Sometimes others drift in and out, and they’re great, but there are few episodes better than when a group of main characters get together. In particular, anytime Claire, Phil, Mitchell, and Cam hang out is priceless.

There are also fantastic guest stars this year. Shelley Long returns as Mitchell and Claire’s mother, Dede, and Nathan Lane is back as Cam and Mitchell’s friend, Pepper. Matthew Broderick plays a man who thinks Phil is gay and hitting on him. Benjamin Bratt makes another appearance as Gloria’s ex, Javier, this time with Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds) in tow as his fiance. Mitchell’s ex-boyfriend Teddy (Larry Sullivan, Will & Grace) remains beloved by the clan. Potential spin-off subject Gil Thorpe (Rob Riggle) gets involved in the house flipping arc. We see Phil’s dad (Fred Willard) when the family flies down to Florida for Phil’s mother’s funeral. And look out for Star Wars‘ Billy Dee Williams!

There are quite a few extras in this three-disc set. As one would expect, there are plenty of deleted and alternate scenes, as well as a gag reel. The season finale gets the Director’s Cut treatment, extending the running time slightly. There are commentaries with the writers of the show for select episodes. Plus, a number of featurettes, including one on said writers, a focus on the family’s newest addition, “A Day with Eric,” a fun little bit featuring Stonestreet, and more are within.

Why buy the Blu-ray versus the DVD? I’m going to be honest, there aren’t a lot of special features or obvious advantages. However, if you’re like me, you want the best picture and sound possible. With Blu-ray, the details are crisp and the sound is pretty much perfect, though it’s front-heavy, as the show intended, with variations in tone and color, as rare as they may be, readily apparent. It looks great in HD, so why not? Plus, you get “Season Mode,” which keeps track of what you’ve watched previously.

Modern Family – The Complete Fourth Season is available now.

Modern Family Throws a "Princess Party"

     ABC's Modern Family is nothing if not consistently funny. While other shows have great episodes, almost every week Modern Family has me rolling with laughter. Last night, with the help of a couple of great guest stars, not only did the show deliver, it left me with some unanswered questions, or really, wishes for things I want to see from the series in the future. For example, I am dying for a flashback episode where Jay and DeDe are still married. That's what sets "Princess Party" apart from other fantastic stories.

     For February sweeps, the show is bringing back successful characters from last year. Last week, we saw Phil's (Ty Burrell) alter ego Clive Bixby, as well as Claire's (Julie Bowen) Julianna. Last night featured the return of DeDe (Shelley Long), who is Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Claire's mother, and Fizbo, Cam's (Eric Stonestreet) clown character. Fizbo is over the top ridiculous, and not only did Cam pull him out, at first against Mitchell's wishes, for their daughter's birthday party, but he also tried a court jester variation with a cockney accent. Hilarious!

     Of course, DeDe was the real draw of the story. Claire struggled to keep it together while welcoming her mother into her home. DeDe brought a surprise - Claire's ex-boyfriend Robbie (Matt Dillon) - whom she had not told that Claire was married with three children. Never mind that, because DeDe was the one soon making out with Robbie, and then bringing him as a date to her granddaughter's birthday. Dillon apparently does sitcom well, coolly delivering some interesting back story on Claire and her family, and pulling off the perfect loser who thinks he's smooth.

     DeDe doesn't just stress out Claire. Jay (Ed O'Neill) and his much younger wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) were not happy to see her, Phil was soon doubting whether he was liked by his mother-in-law, and Mitchell took her stunt as a personal affront, ruining Lily's party. This one woman has the ability to upset everyone in the family at once for completely different reasons, a rare trait, and one always welcome back on the show.

     While great guest stars are a good get for a successful sitcom, how well the show does really depends on the principal cast more than anything else. Modern Family has hands down one of the most talented ensembles on television. Almost every single main character had funny bits and one-liners in this episode, which doesn't always happen. Here's a partial list:

*Phil's kids tell him his hands smell like cheese. He replies, "I didn't want to dirty a knife". Later, after Phil touches Luke's hair, Claire comments that Luke (Nolan Gould) smells like cheese.

*As Phil asks the kids to go easy on Claire during DeDe's visit, Alex (Ariel Winter) enthusiastically offers to practice the cello, eliciting only reluctant agreements from her family.

*Gloria laments possibly skipping Lily's party, wondering if she's starting a trend that will mean missing "Haley's (Sarah Hyland) weddings", plural.

*When Mitchell finds out that DeDe is with Robbie, he reacts "No my god!", which will surely catch on as a wonderful phrase variation.

*Jay makes a not-so-nice comment about his ex-wife DeDe dating a much younger guy while standing right next to his much-younger second wife.

*Twice Mitchell predicts and intones totally casually, almsot bored, "Cue gasp" just as Cam gasps.

*As they finish recording Lily's audio book present, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) wants to re-record, realizing late that his character is a girl. Jay zings, "I think you nailed it." Confused, Manny asks, "What is that supposed to mean?" but Jay just smiles.

*In the ending tag, Cam professes that he can't believe Jay participated in such a great gift, just before the recorded Jay says that Cam will surely return the present anyway.

     Those are eight things just off the top of my head, not from a list I wrote down during the show. And the thing is, I could make a similar, if not longer, list every single week! If you are not watching Modern Family, get on it! You are seriously missing out!

     Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Article first published as TV Review: Modern Family Throws a "Princess Party" on Blogcritics.

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