Fackham Hall – A Rapid-Fire, Humorous Takeoff on Downton That's Pleasantly Throwaway.
Perhaps the sense of uncertain days pervading: subsequent to a lengthy span of dormancy, the comedic send-up is making a comeback. The past few months saw the re-emergence of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, mocks the self-importance of pompously earnest dramas with a torrent of heightened tropes, visual jokes, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Frivolous periods, apparently, give rise to deliberately shallow, joke-dense, welcome light amusement.
A Recent Entry in This Absurd Resurgence
The most recent of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that needles the very pokeable airs of gilded English costume epics. Penned in part by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has plenty of inspiration to draw from and uses all of it.
Starting with a ludicrous start to a ludicrous finish, this entertaining aristocratic caper fills every one of its runtime with puns and routines ranging from the puerile up to the truly humorous.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a spoof of overly dignified the nobility and very obsequious staff. The story revolves around the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their children in separate calamitous events, their hopes now rest on securing unions for their daughters.
The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the family goal of a promise to marry the suitable close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). But when she pulls out, the onus shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a "dried-up husk already and and possesses unladylike notions about female autonomy.
The Film's Comedy Works Best
The parody is significantly more successful when sending up the oppressive norms imposed on pre-war ladies – a topic frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The trope of proper, coveted ladylike behavior provides the richest comic targets.
The storyline, as is fitting for a purposefully absurd spoof, is of lesser importance to the gags. Carr keeps them arriving at an amiably humorous pace. The film features a murder, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Lighthearted Fun
The entire affair is for harmless amusement, though that itself has limitations. The heightened silliness characteristic of the genre may tire quickly, and the entertainment value for this specific type diminishes in the space between sketch and a full-length film.
After a while, one may desire to return to a realm of (at least a modicum of) coherence. Nevertheless, you have to admire a genuine dedication to the craft. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves to death, we might as well see the funny side.