Fackham Hall – This Rapid-Fire, Funny Takeoff on Downton That's Pleasantly Throwaway.
Perhaps the sense of uncertain days pervading: after years of inactivity, the comedic send-up is making a resurgence. This summer observed the rebirth of this playful category, which, when done well, lampoons the self-importance of excessively solemn genres with a barrage of pitched clichés, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.
Unserious eras, so it goes, beget deliberately shallow, gag-packed, welcome light fun.
The Latest Addition in This Silly Wave
The most recent of these goofy parodies is Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that needles the easily mockable pretensions of wealthy British period dramas. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has a wealth of source material to work with and exploits every bit of it.
Opening on a ridiculous beginning all the way to its outrageous finale, this amusing upper-class adventure fills every one of its runtime with gags and sketches ranging from the puerile up to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of very self-important rich people and very obsequious servants. The plot focuses on the hapless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in various unfortunate mishaps, their plans are pinned on securing unions for their offspring.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the aristocratic objective of an engagement to the appropriate close relative, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). Yet once she withdraws, the pressure transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid of a woman" and and holds radically progressive beliefs concerning a woman's own mind.
Its Laughs Works Best
The film achieves greater effect when satirizing the oppressive expectations placed on pre-war ladies – an area often mined for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of idealized femininity supplies the most fertile material for mockery.
The storyline, as is fitting for an intentionally ridiculous spoof, takes a back seat to the gags. The co-writer keeps them maintaining a pleasantly funny rate. Included is a murder, a bungled inquiry, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the roguish street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
A Note on Frivolous Amusement
It's all in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The heightened silliness characteristic of the genre may tire after a while, and the mileage in this instance diminishes in the space between a skit and feature.
At a certain point, you might wish to go back to the world of (at least a modicum of) coherence. But, you have to applaud a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. Given that we are to amuse ourselves relentlessly, we might as well see the funny side.
