Fackham Hall Review – A Brisk, Funny Takeoff on Downton That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.

It could be the notion of end times pervading: following a long period of dormancy, the comedic send-up is enjoying a comeback. The recent season saw the rebirth of this lighthearted genre, which, in its finest form, skewers the grandiosity of excessively solemn genres with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.

Unserious periods, it seems, beget self-awarely frivolous, joke-dense, welcome light amusement.

The Newest Offering in This Goofy Resurgence

The latest of these silly send-ups arrives as Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that needles the very pokeable airs of wealthy British period dramas. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has a wealth of material to draw from and wastes none of it.

From a absurd opening and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable upper-class adventure packs all of its runtime with jokes and bits running the gamut from the juvenile up to the authentically hilarious.

A Pastiche of Upstairs, Downstairs

Much like Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of extremely pompous rich people and very obsequious servants. The plot centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their male heirs in various unfortunate mishaps, their aspirations fall upon marrying off their daughters.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the family goal of a promise to marry the suitable close relative, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet after she pulls out, the burden shifts to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid already and who harbors dangerously modern beliefs regarding women's independence.

The Film's Humor Works Best

The spoof fares much better when joking about the suffocating norms forced upon pre-war women – an area typically treated for earnest storytelling. The stereotype of idealized womanhood provides the best punching bags.

The plot, as one would expect from a deliberately silly spoof, is secondary to the gags. Carr serves them up maintaining an amiably humorous rate. There is a killing, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the charming thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Lighthearted Fun

Everything is for harmless amusement, though that itself comes with constraints. The dialed-up absurdity of a spoof may tire over time, and the mileage in this instance runs out at the intersection of a skit and feature.

Eventually, one may desire to retreat to a realm of (very slight) logic. Nevertheless, you have to respect a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. Given that we are to distract ourselves relentlessly, it's preferable to laugh at it.