Product Description
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Join TVs #1 family for another hilarious and refreshingly
original season of MODERN FAMILY, winner of eleven Emmy Awards,
including Outstanding Comedy Series two years in a row! As the
extended Pritchett/Dunphy clan faces an uproariously
unpredictable array of family vacations, holiday hassles,
troublesome in-laws, and surprising secrets, they still somehow
manage to thrive together as one big, loving family even as they
drive each other absolutely insane! Season Three features a
hilarious gag reel and never-before-seen couch confessions that
will make you laugh out loud and remind you why viewers and
critics alike have fallen in love with this thoroughly Modern
Family.
.com
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With a Golden Globe and a third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding
Comedy series, multiple-year Emmy wins for cast members Julie
Bowen, Eric Stonestreet, and Ty Burrell (Claire Dunphy, Cameron
Tucker, Phil Dunphy), as well as trophies for writing, directing,
and technical achievements in its corner (not to mention numerous
kudos from guild and critics groups), Modern Family is squarely
on track for the TV sitcom hall of fame. A less glamorous
indicator of its own self-assuredness is a contract dispute
between ABC and the ensemble cast for more per-episode money that
briefly held up the production schedule of the fourth season. But
in this season-three set, the series' firm footing is readily
apparent without any hints of the bogged-down sense that
sometimes befalls a show's writing staff or its swelled-head
stars when they get too comfortable on their laurels. That said,
some of the ingenuity and off-center originality that made its
comic sense so truly hilarious occasionally falls into
established routines of structural technique. But overall, the
wackiness and absurdist, based-in-reality farce of an exploded
nuclear family facing the contemporary world through the
perspective of easily relatable family situations remains on
solid ground. The impeccable timing of the dialogue is spot on,
whether the pleasantly thin plots concern a teenage pool party, a
bid by Claire to join the town council, Mitchell and Cam's (Jesse
Tyler Ferguson, Stonestreet) efforts to adopt another child, a
family trip to Disneyland (nice tie-in, ABC), or a creaky Jay
making attempts to capitalize on Gloria's (Sofía Vergara)
considerable stature as a trophy wife (she's happy to oblige). Ty
Burrell's precision delivery and physical comedy skills remain
especially noteworthy as the airheaded yet sensible Phil Dunphy
continues to refine the comic shtick that Burrell's character
believes makes him the world's coolest dad and sexiest husband.
As hard as he tries, Claire and Phil's three kids Haley, Alex,
and Luke (Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould) aren't always
buying it. And Rico Rodriguez as the uptight,
older-than-his-13-years Manny continues to steal many of scenes,
whether he's chaperoning a gang of high school seniors or acting
the connoisseur of a five-star resort. The show continues to
feature a lively clutch of high-wattage guest stars who pop up
unexpectedly, including Tim Blake Nelson, Jennifer Tilly, Greg
Kinnear, Bobby Cannavale, Ellen Barkin, Ernie Hudson, and Leslie
Mann. Barry Corbin appears as a foil for Jay as Cam's crusty
rancher her, and David Cross brings his maniacal leer and
subversive energy to a few episodes as Claire's nemesis in local
government.
Like the other season sets, volume three contains a bunch of
interesting extras, with behind-the-scenes looks at the company's
trip to Disneyland and the Wyoming dude ranch that is the
backdrop for the double-episode season premiere. There's a
walk-around day-in-the-life segment with Ty Burrell that
continues to open up the set and creative process for us, as well
as a similar bit that focuses on the Modern Family kids. As in
the other sets, there's lots of extended "interview" footage of
the characters' confessionals into the fourth wall, deleted and
extended material, and the requisite gag reel that's best
appreciated by devoted fans. But then when it comes to Modern
Family, even the most casual viewers quickly develop a taste for
the funny, fast-paced show that continues to be a highlight of
the current TV spectrum. --Ted Fry