A Look at Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Humorous Downton Abbey Spoof Which Is Delightfully Lightweight.
Perhaps the feeling of an ending era in the air: after years of inactivity, the parody is staging a return. The past few months saw the rebirth of this lighthearted genre, which, in its finest form, skewers the self-importance of pompously earnest genres with a barrage of exaggerated stereotypes, physical comedy, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Playful eras, apparently, create an appetite for deliberately shallow, gag-packed, refreshingly shallow amusement.
A Recent Addition in This Goofy Wave
The most recent of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that needles the highly satirizable airs of opulent UK historical series. Co-written by stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has plenty of material to work with and exploits every bit of it.
Starting with a ridiculous beginning and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this entertaining aristocratic caper packs each of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches that vary from the puerile up to the genuinely funny.
A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of overly dignified rich people and overly fawning help. The story revolves around the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their children in various calamitous events, their hopes now rest on finding matches for their two girls.
The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the family goal of an engagement to the right kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). But when she backs out, the burden shifts to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a spinster at 23 and and possesses dangerously modern beliefs about women's independence.
Its Comedy Lands Most Effectively
The parody achieves greater effect when satirizing the suffocating expectations forced upon Edwardian-era women – a topic typically treated for self-serious drama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable ladylike behavior offers the most fertile material for mockery.
The plot, as befitting a purposefully absurd send-up, is secondary to the bits. The writer serves them up arriving at an amiably humorous pace. Included is a murder, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the plucky street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
The Constraints of Lighthearted Fun
Everything is for harmless amusement, though that itself has limitations. The dialed-up silliness of a spoof might grate quickly, and the entertainment value on this particular variety diminishes in the space between a skit and a full-length film.
Eventually, one may desire to go back to the world of (at least a modicum of) reason. Nevertheless, you have to admire a genuine dedication to the craft. If we're going to amuse ourselves to death, it's preferable to see the funny side.
