Fackham Hall Review – A Brisk, Humorous Takeoff on Downton That's Delightfully Throwaway.
Maybe the sense of uncertain days pervading: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the parody is making a comeback. The recent season observed the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, mocks the pretensions of overly serious genre with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Frivolous times, it seems, create an appetite for deliberately shallow, gag-packed, pleasantly insubstantial entertainment.
The Latest Offering in This Silly Trend
The latest of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that jabs at the very pokeable pretensions of opulent British period dramas. Co-written by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature finds ample of material to draw from and uses all of it.
Opening on a ludicrous start and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this amusing silver-spoon romp packs each of its runtime with puns and routines that vary from the juvenile all the way to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff
Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a spoof of overly dignified aristocrats and very obsequious staff. The plot centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their children in a series of calamitous events, their plans are pinned on securing unions for their daughters.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the aristocratic objective of a promise to marry the suitable first cousin, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). However after she withdraws, the pressure shifts to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as an old maid already and and holds unladylike ideas regarding women's independence.
Its Laughs Lands Most Effectively
The parody achieves greater effect when sending up the suffocating norms placed on pre-war females – a subject often mined for self-serious drama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable womanhood provides the best punching bags.
The storyline, as one would expect from a purposefully absurd parody, takes a back seat to the gags. Carr keeps them maintaining a pleasantly funny pace. The film features a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the charming street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Lighthearted Fun
It's all for harmless amusement, however, this approach imposes restrictions. The amplified silliness of a spoof might grate after a while, and the entertainment value on this particular variety expires somewhere between sketch and feature.
After a while, audiences could long to return to the world of (at least a modicum of) logic. But, you have to respect a wholehearted devotion to this type of comedy. If we're going to distract ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to see the funny side.
