Meet the Parents Comedic Analysis

1.        Meeting the parents has always been considered a pressure filled and awkward situation and in “Meet the Parents”, it is what drives the entire story.  Much of what occurs is an extreme exaggeration of the things that can go wrong when someone’s parents meet their significant other.  Throughout the movie, Greg’s only ambition is to please Pam’s parents and gain their approval.  All that he truly wants is for them to be happy or even impressed with him so that he can ask for Pam’s hand in marriage.  Her father, Jack seems to want nothing to do with Greg and is immediately suspicious.  All of this is hyperbole of the real life situation.

2.       One pair of foils is Greg and Jack.  Jack is a very serious man with a dry sense of humor.  He takes everything he does very sternly.  These two are foils because Jack is constantly threatened by Greg.  He thinks that Greg is going to take his place in Pam’s life and is convinced that he won’t be able to do as good of a job.  Another pair of foils is Greg and Kevin.  To Jack, Kevin embodies everything that Greg does not.  He is successful in a job that Jack finds admirable and lives in an enormous house.  Greg is also Jewish and Kevin is not which Jack is quick to point out.  Jack has very opposing views concerning Greg and Kevin.

3.       Robert DeNiro’s character in “Meet the Parents” is funny because he is so incredibly serious in situations where others might take a joke.  For example, when Greg makes a joke about Jinxy lifting the toilet seat, Jack treats his jest as if he is being completely serious.  He is also very much bothered by Greg’s hatred of cats, often referring back to it.  When Deborah shows concern for Jinxy being the ring bearer for her wedding, Jack interjects with “That cat’s been like a brother to you!”  DeNiro’s usual portrayal of serious characters only adds to the humor of his role as Jack in “Meet the Parents”.

4.       The most influential socio-cultural juxtaposition in “Meet the Parents” is clearly shown with Greg.  Greg is an average man who has an about average income.  When he meets Pam’s family it is shown right away that they live in a rather extravagant home and make more money than he does.  The same thing is shown with Kevin who is very obviously wealthy.  Greg is also Jewish while the other characters are not.  All of these things are played off of each other.  Greg is constantly baffled by the wealth of the other characters and he is made to feel like a lesser person.

5.       Pam’s ex, Kevin adds an element of humor to the movie because he and Greg are such opposites.  He is incredibly successful and talented in ways Jack thinks Greg is not which he is always making clear.  When they visit Kevin’s home, Jack says how incredible everything about Kevin is from his kitchen to his skill in carpentry.  Kevin even does better than Greg in their game of pool volleyball.  He’s also funny because of his relationship with Pam.  He has all kinds of pictures of Pam around his home and it is very obvious that he still has feelings for her.

6.       My favorite scene was probably closer to the end of the film when Greg is attempting to board the plane.  This scene was a sort of anecdote.  The stewardess calls the rows to board the plane and even though there is no one else left, she refuses to let Greg board before his row is called. 
Once he finally boards, a bit of buffoonism follows with Greg trying to shove his bag into the overhead compartment.  You could also call this a “latti”.   He also has a “bon mot” when talking to her and he brings up bombs.  There is situational irony when Jack ends up on the receiving end of the lie detector test he originally put Greg to.

"Modern Family" - Phil Dunphy

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Phil Dunphy in ABC Family’s “Modern Family” is aptly portrayed and developed by Ty Burrell with his short but witty comments, quirky behavior, and overall relationship with his family who share many of these same traits.

                Ty Burrell’s delivery of Phil’s responses to anyone he speaks with are completely impeccable.  Phil retorts at the times where it would be as humorous as possible and never fails to do so.  In the episode "Lifetime Supply", Phil is concerned that his doctor is going to diagnose him with a life-threatening disease.  To make him feel better, his wife Claire says "I assure you, you are fine." and Phil's simple yet to the point response is "That's very reassuring coming from a marketing major at a party school." while completely freaking out.   It is things like this that make Phil so incredibly hilarious.  His humor is in full force at the most unexpected points in each episode.  Another example is in the episode  "Send Out the Clowns", Phil is scammed by another realtor who steals his property.  This other realtor, Mitzi, is speaking to his son and says something to the effect of wanting to keep him.  Phil's immediate response is to scoop Luke up running off and muttering "He's mine!".  These tiny things that he says and the details he inputs are key to making "Modern Family" so insanely funny.

                 Burrell also strategically puts in quirky behaviors to Phil's characterization.  In the Thanksgiving episode for example, he is accidentally tazed.  At strategic points in the episode, usually when the people watching have almost forgotten it occurred, he would twitch and stutter as if the tazer was still having affect.  In addition to this, he is frequently becoming a 'mushy father'.  His affection for his children is often overwhelming as seen in the episode "Virgin Territory".  He is incredibly upset that his girls are both growing up and wants to keep them young as long as possible.  This is clearly shown when he wants desperately to buy a doll for his middle daughter, Alex.  In a more recent episode, his actions put his wife Claire and oldest daughter Hayley in quite an awkward position.  He shrink wraps their family onto the family minivan leaving Hayley and Claire on each side.  They appear to be saying very suggestive things and offering the family phone number.

                 Phil's relationship with his family is one of the most humorous things on the show.  In one episode, Hayley is ready to look at colleges and Phil takes her to see his alma mater.  They are the bulldogs but everyone seems to forget this quite frequently.  Phil thinks that he is still the number one man on campus and makes this  clear much to the embarrassment of Hayley.   When she is invited to a party,he automatically assumes that he is to and is distressed to learn that this is not the case.  Hayley is excited to go to college and use her independence but Phil wants her to stay as his little girl.  Phil is also very upset to learn that she is no longer a virgin in "Virgin Territory" and when Claire tells him that she has known this for a while, he tells her how grateful he is for that.  Phil is dedicated to his family and takes every opportunity possible to make sure they know this.

                 Phil Dunfey is a loving father and husband who thinks dearly of his family and always adds humor to everything that happens on "Modern Family".