Farewell 2011 – Music Review – Bon Iver by Bon Iver
December 29, 2011Media Note: WFNY on “All Bets Are Off” Tonight
December 29, 2011Scott gives us the rundown of one of the best comedies on network television and actually the only network TV show I watch regularly.
In a cast of characters that includes a voluptuous Columbian woman who speaks broken English and is married to a man nearly twice her age and has a son who acts even older, a pair of homosexual gentlemen who continually find themselves in the most precarious of positions (nee situations) including – but not limited to – using their orientation to land their adopted daughter into the preschool of their choice, and a trio of teenage siblings who couldn’t be more different from one another, how is it that the most compelling and downright hilarious character in ABC’s Modern Family is Phil Dunphy, the Caucasian, heterosexual, middle-class, middle-aged father of three who attempts to make a living selling real estate and who doubles as a bottomless beacon for some of the best quotes on television today?
Sure, Modern Family is insanely popular, taking home Emmy awards by the truckload; it’s watched by millions serving as the arch-enemy of hipsters, and can occasionally end in one of those cheesy Full House-like moral stories about family and togetherness and lessons learned, but it is also perfect television show for the person who can’t afford to watch episodes which link to one another – you know, how situational comedies used to be.
Dunphy, played by Ty Burrell, somehow finds a way to shine through the madness surrounding him. Brother-in-law and partner find a complete stranger living in their adopted daughters playhouse? Said Columbian (second) wife of his father-in-law attempts to order her husband baby cheeses and winds up with a box of 100 miniature Jesus figurines? Wife decides to go into political office because a woman speeds down their street? The ocean of crazy doesn’t stand a chance next to the Super Soaker that is a Phil Dunphy mockymentary couch-based testimonial.
On parenting: “Note to Claire: if you want family drama, rent Spy Kids. They save their parents. You think they could have done that if they got yelled at?
Or on his dreams defined by character traits: “I just wish I were one of those people who thrives on the danger of leading a double life. You know…Bruce Wayne. Peter Parker. Hanna Montana.”
Or teaching his son how to play sports: “Give a kid a bird and he becomes one of those weird dudes who walks around with a bird on his shoulder. But give him a pair of wings and he can fly. Unless he has absolutely no hand-eye coordination.”
Dunphy means well. A family man who coined the term “peerenting,” endeavoring to be friends with his kids as well as their (“cool”) dad. He’s a man who turned his wife’s minivan into a mobile advertisement for his business that just so happened to have unfortunately placed slogans next to certain members of his family (“Did the Marlboro Man have any regrets?”). He spent the majority of an afternoon letting his son Luke throw a basketball off of his face with the mere hopes of getting a recorded shot of it ultimately going in the hoop so the youngest-of-three could upload it to YouTube. He refuses to go over his wife’s head by letting his oldest skip studying and go to a party – because he’s not “playing good cop/mom.” He tried to find the perfect Christmas gift only to get tased by Gloria’s rotund son.
When did Phil find out he was funny? Of course, it was when he hit 10 straight fastballs in the batting cage before his friend took a wayward pitch to the groin. “Ball two!” he yelled. Everybody laughed.
In a sitcom where some of the character development has stalled, Phil has taken the baton and sprinted well ahead of the otherwise nonathletic competition. A male cheerleader in college and a man who is admittedly scared of nothing…but clowns, Dunphy’s character is constructed due to his supporting (in the metaphysical sense rather than the Hollywood award-focused sense) cast and a Family which continually saves him from himself. Attempts to manufacture and sell a helmet-housed head scratcher (“a million tiny angels are massaging your scalp”), dreams of becoming a front yard tight rope walker (he allegedly went to trapeze school), or justifying a picture of a topless woman on a tractor as “a cereal commercial” if the family lived in Europe are all character traits of one of the best one-line factories since Tony Soprano’s world went dark.
As his son Luke said this season followoing he and his sister walking in on Phil and wife doing the deed, “whatever it was, it looked like dad was winning.”
6 Comments
Well, I guess that’s what makes a horse race. I like Modern Family a lot, but I think the Phil character is the absolute worst. I get that it’s a comedy and certain licenses must be taken, but nobody could exist being as stupid and wishy-washy as he is. He’s not at all believable. He’s just annoying. The rest of the cast is terrific.
But to each his own.
@1
A.) You’ve won my least favorite commentor of 2011 with all your bitterness today, congrats.
B.) How can you say you like Modern Family a lot and in the same sentence say Phil is the absolute worst. No he’s not featured in every episode, but the Modern Family world revolves around Phil.
Personally I’m bitter a show like Community doesn’t get more press. Yeah, it’s no Modern Family, but damn that show has its moments yet I seem to be the only one watching.
Phil Dunphy is a ripoff of Michael Scott.
@2
Dan, I’m not bitter. I just find stupid characters annoying. Like the father in Malcolm in the Middle and Randy in Earl. Nobody is that stupid. It’s just not funny or interesting. It’s just lazy writing.
It wasn’t my impression that Modern Family revolves around Phil or any single character, but I’ll pay more attention next time to see if I agree with that.
MrCleaveland I was seeing your POV until you brought up Randy. That guy actually makes sense to me seeing the lack of success he has. I’ll admit I like Phil as a character, but I’ll also admit you’re right he is unreasonably stupid to have enough success to have that house and that life.
“In a cast of characters that includes a voluptuous Columbian woman who speaks broken English and is married to a man nearly twice her age and has a son who acts even older, a pair of homosexual gentlemen who continually find themselves in the most precarious of positions (nee situations) including – but not limited to – using their orientation to land their adopted daughter into the preschool of their choice, and a trio of teenage siblings who couldn’t be more different from one another, how is it that the most compelling and downright hilarious character in ABC’s Modern Family is Phil Dunphy, the Caucasian, heterosexual, middle-class, middle-aged father of three who attempts to make a living selling real estate and who doubles as a bottomless beacon for some of the best quotes on television today?”
Craig…you just won the award for longest sentence ever. I salute you.
Also, Modern Family and Parks & Rec are tied for the funniest shows on network television.