Fackham Hall Review – This Brisk, Funny Downton Abbey Spoof Which Is Refreshingly Lightweight.
Maybe the notion of uncertain days pervading: following a long period of inactivity, the comedic send-up is staging a comeback. This summer observed the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, lampoons the pretensions of pompously earnest dramas with a torrent of pitched clichés, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Unserious eras, apparently, give rise to deliberately shallow, joke-dense, welcome light amusement.
A Recent Offering in This Silly Wave
The newest of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that jabs at the easily mockable airs of gilded UK historical series. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of inspiration to draw from and wastes none of it.
From a absurd opening all the way to its outrageous finale, this enjoyable aristocratic caper crams each of its 97 minutes with jokes and bits that vary from the juvenile to the authentically hilarious.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of very self-important the nobility and very obsequious help. The narrative focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (played by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in various unfortunate mishaps, their hopes fall upon finding matches for their daughters.
The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the dynastic aim of a promise to marry the appropriate kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). Yet when she pulls out, the burden falls upon the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as an old maid already and and possesses radically progressive notions concerning women's independence.
Its Humor Succeeds
The film fares much better when sending up the suffocating expectations placed on early 20th-century females – an area typically treated for self-serious drama. The archetype of idealized ladylike behavior provides the most fertile material for mockery.
The storyline, as one would expect from an intentionally ridiculous spoof, is secondary to the jokes. Carr serves them up maintaining a pleasantly funny pace. The film features a killing, an incompetent investigation, and an illicit love affair between the charming street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Lighthearted Fun
The entire affair is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach has limitations. The heightened absurdity of a spoof may tire quickly, and the mileage for this specific type expires somewhere between sketch and a full-length film.
After a while, audiences could long to go back to the world of (at least a modicum of) reason. Yet, it's necessary to applaud a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to distract ourselves unto oblivion, we might as well find the humor in it.
