Laughed so hard I cried! by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
10/09/2012
Join TV's #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.
Modern Family is one of the funniest shows I've seen, ever. Every character is hilarious, and the writers do such an amazing job giving the actors great material to work with. This is one of the few "must watch" shows that my wife and I agree on (Community is another). It's no surprise that the show has won the "Outstanding Comedy Series" Emmy Award 3 years in a row, as well as numerous other awards for writing, directing, editing, sound mixing, and acting. Yes, this is a very good show.
The 3-disc set includes all 24 episodes from the third season:
Disc 1 (3:13:33)
Dude Ranch (21:39)
When Good Kids Go Bad (21:19)
Phil on Wire (21:24)
Door to Door (21:25)
Hit and Run (21:39)
Go Bullfrogs! (21:36)
Treehouse (21:33)
After the Fire (21:22)
Punkin Chunkin (21:36)
Disc 2 (3:13:43)
Express Christmas (21:22)
Lifetime Supply (21:36)
Egg Drop (21:40)
Little Bo Peep (21:17)
Me? Jealous? (21:20)
Aunt Mommy (21:39)
Virgin Territory (21:40)
Leap Day (21:35)
Send out the Clowns (21:34)
Disc 3 (2:08:54)
Election Day (21:39)
The Last Wait (21:39)
Planes, Trains & Cars (20:53)
Disneyland (21:33)
Tableau Vivant (21:35)
Baby on Board (21:35)
Video
The 1080p picture on Modern Family looks great on Blu-ray. There's very little to complain about - just some noise here and there - it's just a really solid-looking picture. There's a chapter placed after the opening of the episode so you can skip the credits, and it has Fox's excellent "Season Pass" that remembers where you left off on your last viewing (I love this feature).
Audio
Fox has an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the set, and it sounds really good. Since it's a comedy and not an action or sci-fi show, the rear speakers don't get much of a workout, but are still used for music, and some ambient effects. The majority of the audio comes in the form of dialog from the center speaker, while the left and right speakers are mainly used for sound effects. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French.
Deleted & Alternate Scenes (22:39)
Each disc has some deleted and alternate scenes on it.
Destination: Wyoming (9:43)
They transported the cast and crew to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the third season premiere. It's a really nice behind-the-scenes look at the episode.
A Day on the set with Ty (5:38)
Join Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy) for a day on the set. It's also the episode that Bryan Cranston directs, which is pretty cool.
Adventures of the Modern Family Kids (3:35)
The "Modern Family" kids have a blast in Wyoming.
A Modern Family Christmas (5:59)
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Express Christmas."
Driving Lessons (2:55)
Luke and Manny decide to take a car out for a spin.
Ed O'Neill Gets a Star (16:46)
A wonderful featurette on Ed O'Neill getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Modern Family goes to Disneyland Resort (3:11)
Modern Family heads to Disneyland, and we get a behind-the-scenes look at the action.
Gag Reel (8:56)
Some funny flubs, but I suspect they could have done about 20 mins of Sofía Vergara if they wanted to.
Summary
This show made me laugh so hard that I had tears streaming down my face. I can't tell you the last time I laughed that hard, and even when I wasn't laugh-crying, my cheeks hurt. It's just such a brilliant show. I think my two favorite characters (if I had to pick two), would be Phil and Manny. Phil is an idiot, but not one that makes the audience laugh because of a potty joke (I'm looking at you, "Joey" from Friends). We're laughing at Phil because we know someone like him, and while he does some stupid things, he's still a likeable guy. Manny is funny because he's an adult trapped in a kid's body. We don't know what he'll say or do, we just know it's not going to be what a kid his age should do.
Fox has put together a decent set for the third season of Modern Family. It's far from being loaded, but I appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at the "special" episodes, as well as the footage of Ed O'Neill getting his star. I'd love to hear some commentaries from the cast and crew, maybe having different groups of cast members talking on different episodes.
I can't wait for season 4 - I may start watching this show "live."
