Fackham Hall Review – This Fast-Paced, Humorous Downton Abbey Spoof That's Delightfully Throwaway.

Maybe the feeling of an ending era around us: after years of dormancy, the spoof is enjoying a return. The past few months witnessed the revival of this playful category, which, in its finest form, lampoons the grandiosity of pompously earnest dramas with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.

Frivolous times, so it goes, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, gag-packed, welcome light amusement.

A Recent Offering in This Goofy Trend

The most recent of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the easily mockable self-importance of gilded UK historical series. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature finds ample of inspiration to mine and wastes none of it.

Starting with a absurd opening and culminating in a outrageous finale, this enjoyable aristocratic caper crams every one of its hour and a half with puns and routines that vary from the juvenile to the genuinely funny.

A Mimicry of The Gentry and Staff

In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of very self-important rich people and overly fawning help. The plot revolves around the hapless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their children in separate calamitous events, their hopes are pinned on finding matches for their two girls.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the aristocratic objective of an engagement to the suitable kinsman, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). Yet when she backs out, the onus shifts to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a "dried-up husk of a woman" and and holds dangerously modern beliefs about women's independence.

Where the Humor Lands Most Effectively

The film fares much better when sending up the oppressive social constraints forced upon Edwardian-era ladies – an area frequently explored for self-serious drama. The archetype of respectable, enviable femininity offers the richest comic targets.

The storyline, as is fitting for an intentionally ridiculous send-up, is secondary to the gags. Carr keeps them arriving at a consistently comedic rate. Included is a homicide, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction between the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Pure Silliness

It's all in lighthearted fun, though that itself has limitations. The heightened silliness characteristic of the genre might grate over time, and the mileage for this specific type runs out at the intersection of a skit and a full-length film.

Eventually, one may desire to go back to stories with (at least a modicum of) coherence. Nevertheless, one must applaud a sincere commitment to this type of comedy. If we're going to distract ourselves to death, let's at least see the funny side.