Fackham Hall Review – This Brisk, Funny Downton Abbey Spoof Which Is Pleasantly Ephemeral.
It could be the sense of uncertain days in the air: after years of quiet, the parody is staging a resurgence. This summer observed the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, in its finest form, mocks the pretensions of overly serious dramas with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Playful times, it seems, give rise to deliberately shallow, joke-dense, pleasantly insubstantial fun.
The Newest Addition in This Goofy Trend
The latest of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that pokes fun at the highly satirizable airs of gilded English costume epics. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film finds ample of material to work with and uses all of it.
From a ridiculous beginning all the way to its ludicrous finish, this amusing silver-spoon romp fills each of its hour and a half with gags and sketches that vary from the puerile to the genuinely funny.
A Pastiche of Upstairs, Downstairs
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall offers a caricature of overly dignified the nobility and overly fawning help. The story revolves around the hapless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in a series of tragic accidents, their hopes fall upon finding matches for their two girls.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the family goal of an engagement to the suitable first cousin, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). But once she pulls out, the onus shifts to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid already and and possesses radically progressive beliefs about female autonomy.
Its Humor Succeeds
The parody fares much better when joking about the oppressive social constraints imposed on early 20th-century ladies – a topic frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The archetype of respectable, enviable femininity offers the most fertile material for mockery.
The plot, as is fitting for an intentionally ridiculous spoof, is of lesser importance to the bits. The co-writer delivers them coming at an amiably humorous clip. Included is a homicide, a farcical probe, and an illicit love affair between the roguish thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Pure Silliness
It's all for harmless amusement, but that very quality imposes restrictions. The heightened foolishness characteristic of the genre may tire after a while, and the mileage for this specific type diminishes at the intersection of a skit and a full-length film.
Eventually, you might wish to return to a realm of (very slight) reason. Yet, it's necessary to admire a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to distract ourselves relentlessly, it's preferable to laugh at it.
