Fackham Hall – A Fast-Paced, Humorous Takeoff on Downton Which Is Refreshingly Ephemeral.

It could be the feeling of an ending era around us: subsequent to a lengthy span of dormancy, the parody is enjoying a return. This summer observed the revival of this unserious film style, which, in its finest form, skewers the self-importance of overly serious genres with a barrage of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and stupid-clever puns.

Unserious eras, it seems, create an appetite for knowingly unserious, joke-dense, welcome light amusement.

The Latest Offering in This Silly Wave

The newest of these silly send-ups is Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that pokes fun at the highly satirizable self-importance of wealthy UK historical series. Penned in part by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of material to mine and exploits every bit of it.

Opening on a ridiculous beginning to a ludicrous finish, this amusing upper-class adventure packs every one of its runtime with gags and sketches ranging from the juvenile up to the authentically hilarious.

A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff

In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a pastiche of overly dignified rich people and excessively servile staff. The plot focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his book-averse wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their male heirs in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations now rest on finding matches for their daughters.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has secured the family goal of a promise to marry the suitable first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). But after she withdraws, the onus falls upon the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a spinster of a woman" and and holds dangerously modern notions about a woman's own mind.

Where the Laughs Works Best

The film is significantly more successful when satirizing the stifling norms placed on early 20th-century females – an area frequently explored for earnest storytelling. The stereotype of idealized womanhood offers the richest material for mockery.

The plot, as befitting an intentionally ridiculous parody, takes a back seat to the bits. The writer serves them up maintaining an amiably humorous rate. There is a homicide, an incompetent investigation, and an illicit love affair involving the roguish pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

Limitations and Pure Silliness

The entire affair is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality comes with constraints. The dialed-up foolishness inherent to parody might grate quickly, and the comic fuel in this instance runs out somewhere between sketch and a full-length film.

Eventually, audiences could long to retreat to stories with (very slight) logic. Yet, you have to applaud a genuine dedication to the craft. Given that we are to entertain ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to laugh at it.