Family Portrait (Modern Family)
Encyclopedia
"Family Portrait" is the twenty-fourth episode and the season finale of the first season of Modern Family
. It originally premiered May 19, 2010 on American Broadcasting Company
(ABC).
In the episode, Claire (Julie Bowen
) makes an effort to take a new family portrait, but everybody is too busy to cooperate: Gloria (Sofía Vergara
) and Manny (Rico Rodriguez) go with Phil (Ty Burrell
) and Alex (Ariel Winter
) to a Lakers game and share an awkward moment on the jumbotron, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
) gets a job as a wedding singer while Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
) takes care of Lily and a stray pigeon, and Luke interviews Jay for a school project.
The episode was written by Ilana Wernick and directed by Jason Winer
and guest stars Kobe Bryant
and Sean Smith. The episode features references to Willy Wonka
. "Family Portrait" became the second highest rated show in the series history and received positive reviews from critics with many praising the scene where Mitchell attempts to murder the pigeon and Cameron singing Ave Maria
.
Nonetheless, Claire gets the whole family, perfectly dressed and on time (barely) for the picture, but her perfectionism finally gets to Jay and he starts a mud fight, dirtying their perfect white costumes. She is forced to let go of the perfect family portrait, and instead they take a series of fun pictures in varying positions. While later hanging the framed picture, Claire admits that she loves the result more than any perfectly-posed family portrait.
as himself in a short cameo and guest stars Sean Smith as the photographer. Pau Gasol
and Luke Walton
guest starred in the episode, but their parts were cut from the episode. This was revealed by ABC representative, Yani Chang by e-mail. The episode is also being included on the DVD, the episode will have a "Making of" for the season 1 DVD as well. Jesse Tyler Ferguson
was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Mitchell Pritchett.
at the wedding. The same scene where the song Ave Maria is played while Mitchell is trying to kill the bird is very similar to John Woo
movies. The scene is also similar to The Godfather
. Phil tells Luke to go through the sprinkler "The Hurt Locker" way, in a very tacked on reference to the film The Hurt Locker
. Phil makes a reference to Willy Wonka
. Mitchell's trouble with the pigeon has certain echoes with Patrick Süskind
's novella, The Pigeon.
in the Men 18-34 demographic and became the Wednesday's #1 Scripted Show for the 12th consecutive week. "Family Portrait" ranked 10th in the 18-49 demographic weekly ratings becoming the 4th highest rated episode and the 3rd highest rated show of the week on American Broadcasting Company
and 21st in the weekly total viewers the 6th most viewed episode and 4th most viewed show of the week on American Broadcasting Company
.
Robert Canning gave the episode a 9.2 saying it was "Outstanding" and "So as great as Maui was, "Family Portrait" was indeed the best way to end Modern Family's premiere season." Donna Bowman of A.V. Club gave the episode a "A-" writing "no way Claire manages to calm down enough about her ruined picture at the scene, although I can buy her loving the picture after the fact -- almost everything else that happened tonight made me cringe because I recognized some part of myself or my family in it." Jason Hughes of TV Squad remarked "Lucky for me, it was brilliant and packed with far, far more goodness to enjoy."
Emily Exton of Entertainment Weekly
gave the episode a positive review and stated that Luke was the best character of the episode once again saying "From falling asleep to his grandfather’s stories about the ’60s, to being plastic-wrapped and walking Hurt Locker-style (pure genius!) across the lawn, I’ve grown to appreciate and crave his hilarious and slightly delayed responses to things." TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.4 writing " already considered your opening season one of the strongest in TV history. Did you really have to prove that this week by even making Kobe Bryant funny?!?" Alison Stern-Dunyak of BuddyTV
said the best moment of the episode was "Most prominent, however, was the show's best sequence, a lengthy, nearly wordless scene that cut between Cameron singing "Ave Maria" at a wedding and Mitchell destroying their home chasing an invading pigeon."
James Poniewozik of Time
stated "Portrait" set out to do what some of Modern Family's best episodes have done, notably "Fizbo," in my opinion the show's best episode overall: it moves the characters toward one central event, setting in place the elements for both hilarious disaster and a moment of catharsis. "Portrait" did that" and he also loved the The Godfather
parody scene. The episode is also currently nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing For A Comedy Series (Single Or Multi-Camera) and is also nominated along with the first episode
of Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
. It originally premiered May 19, 2010 on American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC).
In the episode, Claire (Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011...
) makes an effort to take a new family portrait, but everybody is too busy to cooperate: Gloria (Sofía Vergara
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
) and Manny (Rico Rodriguez) go with Phil (Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
- External links :*...
) and Alex (Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter
Ariel Winter Workman , known in television shows and films as Ariel Winter, is an American teen actress and singer. Winter is best known for her current role as Alex Dunphy in the TV series Modern Family, for which she has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along...
) to a Lakers game and share an awkward moment on the jumbotron, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor, known for his starring role as Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy Modern Family. Stonestreet has received critical acclaim for his performance in Modern Family and won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his...
) gets a job as a wedding singer while Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
) takes care of Lily and a stray pigeon, and Luke interviews Jay for a school project.
The episode was written by Ilana Wernick and directed by Jason Winer
Jason Winer
Jason Winer is an American director, producer, writer, actor and comedian. He is best known for being one of the directors on the award-winning series Modern Family on ABC.Winer was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland...
and guest stars Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
and Sean Smith. The episode features references to Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka
This article is about the fictional character. For the candy company, see, The Willy Wonka Candy Company.Willy Wonka is a fictional character in the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film adaptations that followed. The book and the 1971 film adaption both vividly...
. "Family Portrait" became the second highest rated show in the series history and received positive reviews from critics with many praising the scene where Mitchell attempts to murder the pigeon and Cameron singing Ave Maria
Ave Maria
Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...
.
Plot
Claire's perfect plans for a beautiful family portrait are pulled apart by various mishaps. Phil takes Alex to a Lakers game with Gloria and Manny, but he ignores a phone call from Claire and then begrudgingly kisses Gloria because of the "Kiss-Cam" (all televised and seen by Claire and Haley). Mitchell battles a stray pigeon in his house with Lily but destroys the house, Cameron gets a job as a wedding singer, Luke finds Jay's stories for a school project boring so Jay invents much more exciting ones, and Haley gets a pimple and tries to get her mom to postpone the portrait. All the while Claire battles the Dunphys' broken stair.Nonetheless, Claire gets the whole family, perfectly dressed and on time (barely) for the picture, but her perfectionism finally gets to Jay and he starts a mud fight, dirtying their perfect white costumes. She is forced to let go of the perfect family portrait, and instead they take a series of fun pictures in varying positions. While later hanging the framed picture, Claire admits that she loves the result more than any perfectly-posed family portrait.
Production
The episode was written by Ilana Wenick and directed by Jason Winer. The episode also guest stars Kobe BryantKobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
as himself in a short cameo and guest stars Sean Smith as the photographer. Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol Sáez is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . He was born to Marisa Sáez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood in Spain...
and Luke Walton
Luke Walton
Luke Theodore Walton is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His primary position is at small forward. After the 2010 NBA Finals, Walton and his father Hall of Famer Bill Walton became the first and only father and son to...
guest starred in the episode, but their parts were cut from the episode. This was revealed by ABC representative, Yani Chang by e-mail. The episode is also being included on the DVD, the episode will have a "Making of" for the season 1 DVD as well. Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Mitchell Pritchett.
Cultural references
Cameron sings the song Ave MariaAve Maria
Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...
at the wedding. The same scene where the song Ave Maria is played while Mitchell is trying to kill the bird is very similar to John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
movies. The scene is also similar to The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
. Phil tells Luke to go through the sprinkler "The Hurt Locker" way, in a very tacked on reference to the film The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker
The Hurt Locker is a 2009 American war film about a three-man United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team during the Iraq War. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb...
. Phil makes a reference to Willy Wonka
Willy Wonka
This article is about the fictional character. For the candy company, see, The Willy Wonka Candy Company.Willy Wonka is a fictional character in the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film adaptations that followed. The book and the 1971 film adaption both vividly...
. Mitchell's trouble with the pigeon has certain echoes with Patrick Süskind
Patrick Süskind
Patrick Süskind is a German writer and screenwriter.- Life and work :The public knows little about Patrick Süskind. He has withdrawn from the literary scene in Germany and never grants interviews or allows photos. He was born in Ambach am Starnberger See, near Munich in Germany...
's novella, The Pigeon.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Family Portrait" was viewed by an estimated 10.01 million households receiving a 4.2 rating/11% share in the 18-49 demographic becoming the second highest rated episode of the series history. It also beat American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in the Men 18-34 demographic and became the Wednesday's #1 Scripted Show for the 12th consecutive week. "Family Portrait" ranked 10th in the 18-49 demographic weekly ratings becoming the 4th highest rated episode and the 3rd highest rated show of the week on American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and 21st in the weekly total viewers the 6th most viewed episode and 4th most viewed show of the week on American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
Robert Canning gave the episode a 9.2 saying it was "Outstanding" and "So as great as Maui was, "Family Portrait" was indeed the best way to end Modern Family's premiere season." Donna Bowman of A.V. Club gave the episode a "A-" writing "no way Claire manages to calm down enough about her ruined picture at the scene, although I can buy her loving the picture after the fact -- almost everything else that happened tonight made me cringe because I recognized some part of myself or my family in it." Jason Hughes of TV Squad remarked "Lucky for me, it was brilliant and packed with far, far more goodness to enjoy."
Emily Exton of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the episode a positive review and stated that Luke was the best character of the episode once again saying "From falling asleep to his grandfather’s stories about the ’60s, to being plastic-wrapped and walking Hurt Locker-style (pure genius!) across the lawn, I’ve grown to appreciate and crave his hilarious and slightly delayed responses to things." TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.4 writing " already considered your opening season one of the strongest in TV history. Did you really have to prove that this week by even making Kobe Bryant funny?!?" Alison Stern-Dunyak of BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
said the best moment of the episode was "Most prominent, however, was the show's best sequence, a lengthy, nearly wordless scene that cut between Cameron singing "Ave Maria" at a wedding and Mitchell destroying their home chasing an invading pigeon."
James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
stated "Portrait" set out to do what some of Modern Family's best episodes have done, notably "Fizbo," in my opinion the show's best episode overall: it moves the characters toward one central event, setting in place the elements for both hilarious disaster and a moment of catharsis. "Portrait" did that" and he also loved the The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
parody scene. The episode is also currently nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing For A Comedy Series (Single Or Multi-Camera) and is also nominated along with the first episode
Pilot (Modern Family)
The pilot episode of the television series Modern Family, written by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and directed by Jason Winer, premiered on ABC in the United States on September 23, 2009. The pilot introduces viewers to three sets of people who make up a single family...
of Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
External links
- "Family Portrait" at ABC.com