Fackham Hall Review – A Fast-Paced, Humorous Takeoff on Downton That's Delightfully Throwaway.
It could be the notion of an ending era pervading: subsequent to a lengthy span of dormancy, the spoof is staging a return. This summer observed the rebirth of this playful category, which, when done well, skewers the pretensions of overly serious genres with a torrent of heightened tropes, physical comedy, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.
Frivolous times, apparently, create an appetite for self-awarely frivolous, joke-dense, refreshingly shallow amusement.
The Newest Addition in This Goofy Trend
The latest of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that pokes fun at the very pokeable self-importance of opulent British period dramas. Co-written by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of material to mine and wastes none of it.
Starting with a ridiculous beginning all the way to its outrageous finale, this enjoyable silver-spoon romp crams every one of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches that vary from the juvenile up to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall offers a caricature of overly dignified the nobility and excessively servile servants. The plot focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in various calamitous events, their hopes are pinned on securing unions for their offspring.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the family goal of a promise to marry the right close relative, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). However once she backs out, the burden shifts to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as an old maid already and and holds unladylike ideas regarding female autonomy.
The Film's Comedy Works Best
The film is significantly more successful when joking about the oppressive expectations imposed on pre-war ladies – a subject typically treated for self-serious drama. The stereotype of proper, coveted femininity provides the richest comic targets.
The plot, as is fitting for an intentionally ridiculous send-up, is of lesser importance to the gags. The writer serves them up maintaining a consistently comedic clip. The film features a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the roguish thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Frivolous Amusement
Everything is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The dialed-up silliness of a spoof may tire over time, and the comic fuel in this instance runs out at the intersection of a skit and a full-length film.
Eventually, one may desire to return to stories with (at least a modicum of) logic. Yet, you have to applaud a sincere commitment to the craft. Given that we are to entertain ourselves relentlessly, it's preferable to laugh at it.
