Fackham Hall Review – A Rapid-Fire, Witty Downton Abbey Spoof That's Refreshingly Throwaway.

Perhaps the notion of an ending era in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the comedic send-up is enjoying a resurgence. This summer saw the re-emergence of this unserious film style, which, at its best, skewers the pretensions of pompously earnest genres with a barrage of pitched clichés, sight gags, and ridiculously smart wordplay.

Frivolous times, so it goes, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial entertainment.

The Newest Offering in This Silly Trend

The most recent of these absurd spoofs is Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the easily mockable pretensions of wealthy English costume epics. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of source material to draw from and wastes none of it.

Starting with a ridiculous beginning and culminating in a ludicrous finish, this enjoyable silver-spoon romp fills each of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches ranging from the childish all the way to the authentically hilarious.

A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff

In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of extremely pompous rich people and very obsequious help. The narrative focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their children in a series of unfortunate mishaps, their aspirations fall upon securing unions for their offspring.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the aristocratic objective of a promise to marry the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). But when she backs out, the burden shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a spinster of a woman" and who harbors unladylike beliefs regarding female autonomy.

Its Humor Works Best

The parody achieves greater effect when sending up the oppressive norms placed on early 20th-century women – a topic frequently explored for self-serious drama. The stereotype of idealized ladylike behavior provides the richest comic targets.

The plot, as one would expect from a deliberately silly send-up, is of lesser importance to the jokes. The writer serves them up maintaining an amiably humorous rate. The film features a homicide, an incompetent investigation, and an illicit love affair between the plucky street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

The Constraints of Pure Silliness

Everything is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach imposes restrictions. The dialed-up silliness characteristic of the genre can wear over time, and the entertainment value for this specific type diminishes somewhere between sketch and feature.

Eventually, one may desire to go back to a realm of (very slight) logic. Yet, you have to respect a sincere commitment to the artform. Given that we are to amuse ourselves relentlessly, let's at least see the funny side.