Fackham Hall Review – A Brisk, Witty Takeoff on Downton That's Delightfully Ephemeral.
Perhaps the sense of end times around us: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the comedic send-up is enjoying a resurgence. This summer saw the revival of this unserious film style, which, when done well, lampoons the pretensions of excessively solemn dramas with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and stupid-clever puns.
Playful eras, so it goes, beget deliberately shallow, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial amusement.
The Latest Addition in This Goofy Wave
The newest of these absurd spoofs is Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the easily mockable airs of opulent British period dramas. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has plenty of source material to draw from and wastes none of it.
Opening on a ludicrous start all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable aristocratic caper crams every one of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches ranging from the juvenile up to the truly humorous.
A Send-Up of The Gentry and Staff
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of overly dignified the nobility and overly fawning staff. The plot focuses on the incompetent Lord Davenport (played by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their children in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations now rest on marrying off their offspring.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the dynastic aim of an engagement to the right kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). However after she withdraws, the onus transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered a spinster of a woman" and and possesses unladylike beliefs concerning a woman's own mind.
The Film's Humor Works Best
The spoof fares much better when satirizing the stifling social constraints forced upon pre-war females – a topic often mined for po-faced melodrama. The archetype of idealized femininity provides the richest comic targets.
The plot, as one would expect from a purposefully absurd parody, is secondary to the jokes. The writer serves them up arriving at an amiably humorous pace. Included is a homicide, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Pure Silliness
The entire affair is for harmless amusement, however, this approach comes with constraints. The amplified absurdity of a spoof may tire over time, and the comic fuel on this particular variety expires at the intersection of a skit and feature.
Eventually, audiences could long to retreat to the world of (at least a modicum of) reason. Nevertheless, one must applaud a sincere commitment to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to distract ourselves to death, we might as well see the funny side.
