Fackham Hall – This Fast-Paced, Witty Takeoff on Downton Which Is Refreshingly Throwaway.

Perhaps the notion of uncertain days in the air: following a long period of dormancy, the comedic send-up is making a return. This summer saw the re-emergence of this playful category, which, in its finest form, mocks the pretensions of overly serious genres with a torrent of pitched clichés, physical comedy, and stupid-clever puns.

Playful times, apparently, beget knowingly unserious, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial entertainment.

A Recent Addition in This Goofy Trend

The latest of these absurd spoofs is Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the easily mockable pretensions of opulent British period dramas. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of material to work with and uses all of it.

Opening on a absurd opening and culminating in a outrageous finale, this amusing upper-class adventure crams every one of its hour and a half with puns and routines running the gamut from the puerile to the authentically hilarious.

A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants

Much like Downton, Fackham Hall presents a spoof of extremely pompous aristocrats and very obsequious staff. 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 male heirs in a series of tragic accidents, their hopes are pinned on securing unions for their offspring.

The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the suitable first cousin, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). However after she pulls out, the burden transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid of a woman" and and possesses unladylike beliefs about a woman's own mind.

Where the Laughs Succeeds

The film fares much better when sending up the oppressive social constraints imposed on pre-war women – a subject frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The trope of proper, coveted femininity provides the most fertile punching bags.

The storyline, as befitting a purposefully absurd parody, is of lesser importance to the bits. The co-writer keeps them maintaining an amiably humorous rate. There is a killing, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the charming thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

Limitations and Lighthearted Fun

The entire affair is in the spirit of playful comedy, though that itself has limitations. The dialed-up foolishness characteristic of the genre can wear after a while, and the entertainment value in this instance diminishes at the intersection of sketch and a full-length film.

Eventually, you might wish to return to a realm of (very slight) reason. But, it's necessary to respect a wholehearted devotion to the craft. If we're going to amuse ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least find the humor in it.