MODERN FAMILY: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON

    THE PLOT THUS FAR The laughs – and the awards – just keep on coming for the #1-rated Modern Family, winner of three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series! With Jay and Gloria’s baby on the way and Haley going off to college, the entire Pritchett/Dunphy clan faces some major surprises as they bicker and bond over house-flipping headaches, unwanted play dates, and everything from hot-tempered hormones to in utero karaoke. Featuring a stellar array of guest stars including Matthew Broderick, Shelley Long and Elizabeth Banks, Season Four takes a heartfelt and laugh-out-loud hilarious look at what it means to be a Modern Family. WHAT WE THOUGHT “Modern Family” wants to be everything to everyone. However, it only tries to be funny when it’s incidental to the plot. The little adopted girl continues to steal the show for me, as the kid actors struggle to find an identity of their own. Claire’s a bitch now and most of the men seem to stumble around. If that wasn’t enough, they keep trying to trot out Vergara to do her estrogen powered Ricky Ricardo act. It’s a mess, but somehow it works. The show feels forced and predictable once in a while. Especially in the first season the writers seemed to have a hard time make their protagonists quirks believable, which are responsible for the humor. Most of all Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell seemed to be skeptical of some ideas of their roles, which is most feel-able in the first role-play-sex-episode. Phil Dunphy being such a perfect charming seducer with almost Bond-qualities seemed to openly contradict his character definition as the clumsy but lovable family dad, even though the actor sure pulls it off acting-wise. The Blu-Ray comes with deleted scenes, alternate scenes, commentaries and a gag reel. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track kicks in where it’s needed. Still, the 1080p transfer ranges from adequate to a little too crisp at times. Maybe, I’m getting spoiled by modern TV on Blu-Ray. However, it stood out. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans. RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!