Fackham Hall Review – This Rapid-Fire, Humorous Parody of Downton Abbey That's Delightfully Lightweight.
Maybe the sense of an ending era in the air: after years of inactivity, the parody is enjoying a return. The past few months saw the revival of this playful category, which, in its finest form, mocks the grandiosity of overly serious genres with a torrent of heightened tropes, physical comedy, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Frivolous periods, apparently, give rise to self-awarely frivolous, joke-dense, pleasantly insubstantial fun.
The Newest Entry in This Absurd Trend
The most recent of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the highly satirizable airs of wealthy UK historical series. Penned in part by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of material to mine and exploits every bit of it.
From a ludicrous start all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable aristocratic caper packs every one of its 97 minutes with puns and routines that vary from the childish to the truly humorous.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a spoof of very self-important the nobility and very obsequious servants. The narrative focuses on the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their male heirs in separate unfortunate mishaps, their plans now rest on securing unions for their two girls.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the dynastic aim of a promise to marry the suitable close relative, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). But after she withdraws, the onus transfers to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a "dried-up husk at 23 and who harbors unladylike ideas about female autonomy.
Its Laughs Succeeds
The film is significantly more successful when sending up the stifling expectations forced upon early 20th-century females – an area frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The archetype of proper, coveted ladylike behavior provides the richest material for mockery.
The storyline, as one would expect from a purposefully absurd parody, takes a back seat to the bits. The co-writer keeps them maintaining a consistently comedic rate. There is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the plucky street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Pure Silliness
It's all for harmless amusement, though that itself imposes restrictions. The dialed-up silliness inherent to parody can wear after a while, and the entertainment value on this particular variety diminishes at the intersection of a skit and feature.
At a certain point, one may desire to go back to a realm of (at least a modicum of) coherence. But, it's necessary to respect a sincere commitment to this type of comedy. If we're going to distract ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to find the humor in it.
