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TV review: Modern Family
Important: This column was last updated on September 23, 2009. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
There's no such thing as a typical family. It takes all kinds. Modern Family makes this point with such a light-hearted touch that it is the funniest, smartest comedy of the season.
Phil, Claire (Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen) and their three children fit the stereotype of the average family. Mom and Dad are at odds on how best to parent. Claire strives to fill the traditional roles of nurturer, teacher and disciplinarian. Phil wants to be the kids' best friend and often makes a fool of himself doing it. A scene in which he is coerced into administering unconventional punishment is priceless.
Jay and Gloria (Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara) are working on their second marriages. He's laid-back and mellow. The only thing that angers him is when people mistake him for Gloria's father, mainly because he's clearly old enough. Almost anything can set off the hot-tempered Gloria, a Colombian with a pudgy 11-year-old son who's infatuated with older women.
Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet) are gay partners. After five years together, they have stepped up their commitment by adopting a Vietnamese orphan. Mitchell goes wild whenever he suspects someone is looking askance at their sexual orientation. This happens more often than it might if Cameron weren't given to spontaneous flamboyant gestures.
There's a neat twist that brings these disparate personalities together.
Each one of the characters has an endearing trait, and a talented cast of familiar faces does its work flawlessly. The only thing that can keep Modern Family from becoming a hit is killer competition.
Tom Jicha can be reached at tjicha@sun-sentinel.com
Airs: 9 p.m. Wednesdays on WPLG-Ch. 10, WPBF-Ch. 25
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Phil, Claire (Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen) and their three children fit the stereotype of the average family. Mom and Dad are at odds on how best to parent. Claire strives to fill the traditional roles of nurturer, teacher and disciplinarian. Phil wants to be the kids' best friend and often makes a fool of himself doing it. A scene in which he is coerced into administering unconventional punishment is priceless.
Jay and Gloria (Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara) are working on their second marriages. He's laid-back and mellow. The only thing that angers him is when people mistake him for Gloria's father, mainly because he's clearly old enough. Almost anything can set off the hot-tempered Gloria, a Colombian with a pudgy 11-year-old son who's infatuated with older women.
Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet) are gay partners. After five years together, they have stepped up their commitment by adopting a Vietnamese orphan. Mitchell goes wild whenever he suspects someone is looking askance at their sexual orientation. This happens more often than it might if Cameron weren't given to spontaneous flamboyant gestures.
There's a neat twist that brings these disparate personalities together.
Each one of the characters has an endearing trait, and a talented cast of familiar faces does its work flawlessly. The only thing that can keep Modern Family from becoming a hit is killer competition.
Tom Jicha can be reached at tjicha@sun-sentinel.com
On TV
Program: Modern FamilyAirs: 9 p.m. Wednesdays on WPLG-Ch. 10, WPBF-Ch. 25
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