🔗 Share this article A Look at Fackham Hall – A Fast-Paced, Funny Parody of Downton Abbey That's Pleasantly Ephemeral. It could be the notion of end times around us: after years of quiet, the comedic send-up is staging a comeback. The recent season observed the revival of this unserious film style, which, when done well, mocks the self-importance of pompously earnest genre with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and stupid-clever puns. Playful periods, so it goes, create an appetite for deliberately shallow, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial entertainment. The Newest Addition in This Silly Wave The most recent of these silly send-ups arrives as Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that pokes fun at the easily mockable self-importance of wealthy UK historical series. Co-written by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has plenty of inspiration to mine and uses all of it. From a absurd opening and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this entertaining silver-spoon romp fills all of its 97 minutes with jokes and bits ranging from the childish all the way to the genuinely funny. A Mimicry of Aristocrats and Servants In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of very self-important aristocrats and excessively servile help. The story centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (played by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their four sons in various tragic accidents, their plans now rest on marrying off their offspring. The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the right kinsman, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However after she backs out, the burden falls upon the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid of a woman" and and holds unladylike beliefs about female autonomy. Where the Humor Works Best The spoof achieves greater effect when satirizing the stifling social constraints placed on pre-war women – an area frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of idealized femininity offers the most fertile punching bags. The narrative thread, as one would expect from a deliberately silly parody, takes a back seat to the gags. The co-writer delivers them coming at an amiably humorous rate. Included is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose. The Constraints of Frivolous Amusement The entire affair is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach comes with constraints. The heightened absurdity inherent to parody may tire quickly, and the entertainment value in this instance runs out in the space between sketch and feature. Eventually, audiences could long to go back to the world of (at least a modicum of) reason. Yet, one must respect a sincere commitment to the craft. In an age where we might to distract ourselves to death, we might as well laugh at it.
It could be the notion of end times around us: after years of quiet, the comedic send-up is staging a comeback. The recent season observed the revival of this unserious film style, which, when done well, mocks the self-importance of pompously earnest genre with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and stupid-clever puns. Playful periods, so it goes, create an appetite for deliberately shallow, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial entertainment. The Newest Addition in This Silly Wave The most recent of these silly send-ups arrives as Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that pokes fun at the easily mockable self-importance of wealthy UK historical series. Co-written by UK-Irish comic Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has plenty of inspiration to mine and uses all of it. From a absurd opening and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this entertaining silver-spoon romp fills all of its 97 minutes with jokes and bits ranging from the childish all the way to the genuinely funny. A Mimicry of Aristocrats and Servants In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of very self-important aristocrats and excessively servile help. The story centers on the incompetent Lord Davenport (played by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their four sons in various tragic accidents, their plans now rest on marrying off their offspring. The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the right kinsman, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However after she backs out, the burden falls upon the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid of a woman" and and holds unladylike beliefs about female autonomy. Where the Humor Works Best The spoof achieves greater effect when satirizing the stifling social constraints placed on pre-war women – an area frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of idealized femininity offers the most fertile punching bags. The narrative thread, as one would expect from a deliberately silly parody, takes a back seat to the gags. The co-writer delivers them coming at an amiably humorous rate. Included is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose. The Constraints of Frivolous Amusement The entire affair is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach comes with constraints. The heightened absurdity inherent to parody may tire quickly, and the entertainment value in this instance runs out in the space between sketch and feature. Eventually, audiences could long to go back to the world of (at least a modicum of) reason. Yet, one must respect a sincere commitment to the craft. In an age where we might to distract ourselves to death, we might as well laugh at it.