A Look at Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Witty Takeoff on Downton That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.
It could be the sense of an ending era pervading: after years of inactivity, the comedic send-up is enjoying a comeback. This summer witnessed the re-emergence of this playful category, which, at its best, skewers the self-importance of pompously earnest dramas with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Frivolous times, apparently, give rise to deliberately shallow, joke-dense, welcome light fun.
The Latest Offering in This Silly Trend
The newest of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that needles the very pokeable self-importance of wealthy British period dramas. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film finds ample of source material to draw from and exploits every bit of it.
Starting with a ridiculous beginning to a outrageous finale, this enjoyable upper-class adventure packs each of its 97 minutes with puns and routines running the gamut from the childish up to the truly humorous.
A Pastiche of Upstairs, Downstairs
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall presents a spoof of extremely pompous aristocrats and very obsequious staff. The narrative centers on the hapless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their four sons in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations are pinned on marrying off their two girls.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of a promise to marry the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet once she pulls out, the onus shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a "dried-up husk of a woman" and and holds unladylike beliefs about women's independence.
The Film's Comedy Works Best
The parody fares much better when sending up the oppressive norms placed on pre-war ladies – an area often mined for self-serious drama. The trope of idealized ladylike behavior supplies the best comic targets.
The plot, as is fitting for a deliberately silly parody, is of lesser importance to the jokes. The co-writer serves them up coming at an amiably humorous pace. Included is a homicide, an incompetent investigation, and a forbidden romance featuring the charming street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Frivolous Amusement
The entire affair is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The amplified foolishness of a spoof can wear after a while, and the comic fuel in this instance expires somewhere between sketch and a full-length film.
After a while, one may desire to return to stories with (at least a modicum of) logic. Yet, one must admire a genuine dedication to the craft. If we're going to entertain ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to find the humor in it.
