Family Portrait (Modern Family)

Last updated
"Family Portrait"
Modern Family episode
Family Portrait (Modern Family).jpg
The Family Portrait
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 24
Directed by Jason Winer
Written byIlana Wernick
Production code1ARG22
Original air dateMay 19, 2010 (2010-05-19) [1]
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Hawaii"		Next →
"The Old Wagon"
Modern Family season 1
List of episodes

"Family Portrait" is the twenty-fourth episode and the season finale of the first season of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family and the twenty-fourth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ABC on May 19, 2010. The episode was written by Ilana Wernick and directed by Jason Winer. It guest stars Kobe Bryant and Sean Smith.

Contents

In the episode, Claire makes an effort to take a new family portrait. Gloria and Manny go with Phil and Alex to a Lakers game and share an awkward moment on the jumbo-tron. Cameron gets a job as a wedding singer while Mitchell takes care of Lily and battles with a pigeon that entered the house. Luke interviews Jay for a school project. After many mishaps, the family is barely on time for the portrait but Claire's perfectionism gets on Jay who starts a mud fight. The portrait is not as perfect as Claire was imagining it but she admits that she loves the result.

"Family Portrait" became the second-highest-rated show in the show's history and received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the scene where Mitchell attempts to kill the pigeon while Cameron is singing "Ave Maria".

The photograph of the three families taken in this episode could be seen hanging on the walls of the three families' houses throughout the rest of the series. The series finale of the show concluded with a shot of the portrait followed by a fade to black.

Plot

Claire's (Julie Bowen) perfect plans for a beautiful family portrait are pulled apart by various mishaps.

Phil (Ty Burrell) takes Alex (Ariel Winter) to a Lakers game with Gloria (Sofía Vergara) and Manny (Rico Rodriguez). During the game, Claire and Haley (Sarah Hyland) see Phil on TV. Claire phones him, but then sees him reject the call. Phil and Gloria appear on the "kiss cam", and when they don't initially kiss, the crowd boos causing Gloria to plant one on Phil. Alex then gets a message saying that Claire was angry with Phil after seeing him on TV. Although Claire didn't see the kiss, Phil now thinks she did.

A stray pigeon enters Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron's (Eric Stonestreet) house, and Mitchell battles to get it out. As a result, he destroys the house. Cameron gets a job as a wedding singer and Luke (Nolan Gould) interviews Jay (Ed O'Neill) for a school project. Luke finds Jay's stories boring so Jay invents much more exciting ones. Haley gets a pimple and tries to get her mother to postpone the portrait, something that Claire does not agree to.

All the while Claire battles the Dunphys' broken stair to fix it so everything would be perfect for the portrait. She ends up destroying it completely so she calls Mitchell to ask him to do the shooting at his place. After his battle with the pigeon though, the house is in the worst condition for a photo shooting so he tells her what she is asking is impossible.

Nonetheless, Claire manages to get the whole family perfectly dressed and barely on time for the picture. However various squabbles come up, including the kiss and Cameron being angry over the destroyed house. Claire's perfectionism finally gets to Jay and he starts a mud fight, dirtying their perfect white costumes. This loosens everyone up, and instead of the perfect portrait the family instead 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 Bryant as himself in a short cameo and 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. [2] The episode is also being included on the DVD, the episode will have a "Making of" for the season 1 DVD as well. [3]

Cultural references

Cameron sings the song "Ave Maria" at the wedding. [4] The same scene where the song is played while Mitchell is trying to kill the bird is very similar to John Woo movies. [5] The scene is also similar to The Godfather . [6]

Phil tells Luke to go through the sprinkler the "Hurt Locker" way, in a reference to the film The Hurt Locker . [7] Phil makes a reference to Willy Wonka. [8]

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast, "Family Portrait" was viewed by 10.01 million viewers, receiving a 4.2 rating/11% share in the 18-49 demographic becoming the second highest-rated episode of the series history. [9] It also beat American Idol in the Men 18-34 demographic and became the Wednesday's #1 Scripted Show for the 12th consecutive week. [10] "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. [11]

Reviews

"Family Portrait" received generally positive reviews.

Robert Canning from IGN gave the episode a 9.2/10 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." [5]

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "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." [12]

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." [7]

TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.4/5 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?!?" [8]

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." [4]

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 Godfather parody scene. [6]

Award nominations

This episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Comedy Series (Single or Multi-Camera) and was nominated along with the eventual winner of the category: The Pilot of Modern Family .

Jesse Tyler Ferguson was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Mitchell Pritchett. [13]

Related Research Articles

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American family sitcom television series Modern Family. Written by series creators Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and directed by Jason Winer, it premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on September 23, 2009. The episode introduces viewers to three sets of people who make up a single family. The episode is shot in a mockumentary style, with a cameraman following the characters around their everyday lives and interviewing them at various intervals. It cuts between the experiences of the three separate units before they all come together at the end of the episode.

Starry Night (<i>Modern Family</i>) 18th episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Starry Night" is the eighteenth episode of the first season of Modern Family and the eighteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on ABC on March 24, 2010. The episode was written by Danny Zuker and directed by Jason Winer.

Hawaii (<i>Modern Family</i>) 23rd episode of the 1st season of Modern Family

"Hawaii" is the twenty-third episode of Modern Family on the first season and the twenty-third episode of the series overall. It originally premiered on May 12, 2010, on ABC. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by series co-creator Steven Levitan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Old Wagon</span> 1st episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The Old Wagon" is the second season premiere of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 25th episode overall. It was aired on September 22, 2010. The episode was written by Bill Wrubel and was directed by Michael Spiller. The episode is also Wrubel's first credit as co-executive producer.

The Kiss (<i>Modern Family</i>) 2nd episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The Kiss" is the second episode of the second season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the 26th episode overall. The episode aired September 29, 2010. It was written by Abraham Higginbotham and directed by Scott Ellis. The episode also featured guest starred Aaron Sanders as Jeremy, Alex's love interest. The episode serves as a response to a criticism for the first season that Mitchell and Cameron never kissed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manny Get Your Gun</span> 8th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Manny Get Your Gun" is the eighth episode of the second season of the sitcom, Modern Family and the 32nd overall. It originally aired November 17, 2010 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The episode was written by Danny Zuker, from a story by Modern Family co-creator, Christopher Lloyd and was directed by Michael Spiller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance Dance Revelation</span> 10th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Dance Dance Revelation" is the tenth episode of the second season of the sitcom, Modern Family and the 34th overall. It originally aired December 8, 2010 on the ABC. The episode was written by Ilana Wernick and directed by Gail Mancuso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Down Your Neighbors</span> 11th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Slow Down Your Neighbors" is the 11th episode of the second season of Modern Family and the 35th episode overall. It originally aired on January 5, 2011 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The episode was written by Ilana Wernick and was directed by Gail Mancuso, who were also both credited for the previous episode, "Dance Dance Revelation". The episode features a guest appearance from James Marsden as Barry, Cameron and Mitchell's new neighbor.

Caught in the Act (<i>Modern Family</i>) 13th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Caught in the Act" is the 13th episode of the second season of the American television comedy series, Modern Family and the 37th overall episode of the series. Co-creator Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman wrote the episode and Michael Spiller directed it. The episode originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on January 19, 2011. It featured guest star Rachael Harris as restaurant owner, Amelia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Party</span> 15th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Princess Party" is the 15th episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Family's second season and the 39th overall. It originally aired on February 16, 2011, on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The episode was written by Elaine Ko and was directed by Michael Spiller.

Mothers Day (<i>Modern Family</i>) 21st episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"Mother's Day" is the 21st episode of the American comedy television series, Modern Family's second season and the 45th episode overall of the series. It originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on May 4, 2011. The episode was written by Dan O'Shannon & Ilana Wernick and was directed by Michael Spiller.

The One That Got Away (<i>Modern Family</i>) 24th episode of the 2nd season of Modern Family

"The One That Got Away" is the 24th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Modern Family, and the 48th episode overall. It is the last episode of season 2. It was originally aired on May 25, 2011. The episode was directed by James Bagdonas and was written by Paul Corrigan, Brad Walsh and Dan O'Shannon.

Treehouse (<i>Modern Family</i>) 7th episode of the 3rd season of Modern Family

"Treehouse" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 55th episode overall. It aired on November 2, 2011. The episode was written by series co-creator Steven Levitan and was directed by Jason Winer. It featured guest appearances from Jennifer Tilly and Leslie Mann, and the second guest appearance of Chazz Palminteri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Express Christmas</span> 10th episode of the 3rd season of Modern Family

"Express Christmas" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 58th episode overall. It was aired on December 7, 2011. The episode was written by Cindy Chupack and directed by Michael Spiller. Express Christmas is the second Christmas episode of the series.

"Virgin Territory" is the 16th episode of the third season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the series' 64th episode overall. It aired on February 22, 2012. The episode was written by Elaine Ko and directed by Jason Winer.

"When a Tree Falls" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 81st episode overall. It aired November 28, 2012. The episode was written by Ben Karlin and directed by Steven Levitan.

"Sleeper" is the 21st episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 117th overall. It was aired on April 30, 2014. The episode was directed by Ryan Case and written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh & Bill Wrubel.

"Spring Break" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 138th episode overall. It originally aired on March 25, 2015. The episode was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh, and directed by Gail Mancuso.

"Crying Out Loud" is the twenty-third episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 143rd episode overall. It originally aired on May 13, 2015. The episode was written by Megan Ganz, Stephen Lloyd & Chuck Tathum, and directed by Ryan Case.

References

  1. ↑ "Family Portrait: Episode Info". MSN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  2. ↑ Medina, Mark (May 13, 2010). "Kobe Bryant's cameo appearance on 'Modern Family' to air on May 19". Laker's Blog - LA Times. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ McCutcheon, David (July 7, 2010). "Modern Family Waltzing In". IGN . Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Stern-Dunyak, Alison (May 20, 2010). "'Modern Family' Fan Columnist: An Offer You Can't Refuse". Buddy TV. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  5. 1 2 Canning, Robert (May 20, 2010). "Modern Family: "Family Portrait" Review". IGN.
  6. 1 2 Poniewozik, James (May 20, 2010). "Modern Family Watch: Photo Finish". Time. Time Entertainment.
  7. 1 2 Exton, Emily (May 20, 2010). "'Modern Family' recap: Luke puts the 'He' in 'Hero'". Entertainment Weekly - Pop watch.
  8. 1 2 Richenthal, Matt (May 20, 2010). "Modern Family Season Finale: Even Kobe is Funny". TV Fanatic.
  9. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 20, 2010). "TV Ratings Wednesday: Good Guys Off To Bad Start; Idol Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  10. ↑ Gorman, Bill (May 20, 2010). ""Modern Family" Finishes Out its First Season as the Night's No. 1 Scripted TV Show on Each of its Last 12 Originals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  11. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 25, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: Dancing Tops Idol With Viewers Again, Lost Finale Wins With Adults 18-49". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28.
  12. ↑ Bowman, Donna (May 21, 2010). "Family Portrait". The A.V. Club.
  13. ↑ "Emmy toss-up: Who'll win best supporting comedy actor? [updated]". LA Times. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.