Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Funny Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Delightfully Throwaway.
It could be the feeling of uncertain days pervading: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the spoof is staging a return. This summer saw the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, lampoons the self-importance of overly serious genre with a barrage of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and stupid-clever puns.
Playful times, it seems, give rise to deliberately shallow, gag-packed, refreshingly shallow entertainment.
A Recent Addition in This Goofy Wave
The most recent of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that jabs at the easily mockable pretensions of wealthy British period dramas. Penned in part by stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has plenty of source material to work with and uses all of it.
Opening on a ludicrous start and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this amusing aristocratic caper packs every one of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches ranging from the childish all the way to the authentically hilarious.
A Mimicry of Aristocrats and Servants
Much like Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of extremely pompous the nobility and overly fawning staff. The narrative revolves around the incompetent Lord Davenport (played by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their male heirs in separate tragic accidents, their hopes are pinned on finding matches for their two girls.
One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of an engagement to the right first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However after she withdraws, the burden shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a spinster already and and possesses unladylike ideas regarding female autonomy.
Where the Comedy Succeeds
The spoof fares much better when joking about the stifling expectations placed on early 20th-century females – an area typically treated for po-faced melodrama. The trope of respectable, enviable femininity offers the most fertile punching bags.
The narrative thread, as befitting a purposefully absurd parody, is secondary to the jokes. Carr delivers them coming at an amiably humorous rate. The film features a killing, a farcical probe, and an illicit love affair involving the charming thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Pure Silliness
Everything is in lighthearted fun, but that very quality has limitations. The dialed-up foolishness characteristic of the genre can wear quickly, and the mileage for this specific type expires somewhere between a skit and a full-length film.
Eventually, one may desire to go back to a realm of (very slight) coherence. Yet, it's necessary to admire a genuine dedication to the artform. If we're going to entertain ourselves to death, let's at least laugh at it.
