Fackham Hall Review – This Rapid-Fire, Witty Downton Abbey Spoof Which Is Pleasantly Lightweight.
Maybe the feeling of end times in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of dormancy, the spoof is enjoying a resurgence. The recent season observed the rebirth of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, skewers the grandiosity of pompously earnest genre with a barrage of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Frivolous eras, apparently, give rise to deliberately shallow, laugh-filled, welcome light fun.
The Latest Entry in This Goofy Resurgence
The most recent of these goofy parodies arrives as Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that jabs at the very pokeable self-importance of gilded British period dramas. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has a wealth of inspiration to work with and wastes none of it.
From a ridiculous beginning all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable upper-class adventure fills all of its runtime with puns and routines that vary from the puerile up to the genuinely funny.
A Send-Up of Aristocrats and Servants
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of very self-important rich people and overly fawning help. The plot focuses on the hapless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their four sons in separate unfortunate mishaps, their plans fall upon finding matches for their daughters.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the appropriate close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). Yet when she pulls out, the onus transfers to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered a spinster at 23 and and possesses radically progressive ideas about a woman's own mind.
Its Laughs Lands Most Effectively
The parody fares much better when sending up the oppressive expectations imposed on pre-war females – a topic typically treated for earnest storytelling. The trope of idealized ladylike behavior provides the most fertile material for mockery.
The narrative thread, as befitting a deliberately silly send-up, is secondary to the jokes. The co-writer keeps them arriving at an amiably humorous pace. Included is a murder, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Lighthearted Fun
Everything is for harmless amusement, but that very quality has limitations. The heightened foolishness inherent to parody may tire over time, and the comic fuel in this instance runs out somewhere between a skit and a full-length film.
At a certain point, you might wish to retreat to a realm of (very slight) reason. Yet, it's necessary to applaud a sincere commitment to this type of comedy. If we're going to amuse ourselves relentlessly, it's preferable to laugh at it.