Fackham Hall Review – This Rapid-Fire, Funny Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Pleasantly Lightweight.

Maybe the notion of end times pervading: following a long period of inactivity, the comedic send-up is enjoying a comeback. The past few months saw the revival of this playful category, which, in its finest form, lampoons the self-importance of overly serious dramas with a barrage of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and stupid-clever puns.

Frivolous times, so it goes, create an appetite for self-awarely frivolous, gag-packed, welcome light entertainment.

The Newest Addition in This Absurd Resurgence

The latest of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the highly satirizable self-importance of opulent English costume epics. Penned in part by stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of inspiration to mine and exploits every bit of it.

Starting with a absurd opening to a outrageous finale, this amusing aristocratic caper crams each of its 97 minutes with gags and sketches that vary from the puerile to the authentically hilarious.

A Mimicry of Aristocrats and Servants

Much like Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a pastiche of overly dignified the nobility and excessively servile staff. The story centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (played by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their male heirs in a series of calamitous events, their aspirations are pinned on marrying off their offspring.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the dynastic aim of an engagement to the suitable first cousin, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). But when she pulls out, the burden shifts to the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a "dried-up husk of a woman" and and holds radically progressive ideas regarding female autonomy.

The Film's Humor Succeeds

The spoof achieves greater effect when sending up the suffocating norms forced upon pre-war women – a topic frequently explored for po-faced melodrama. The archetype of idealized ladylike behavior provides the best material for mockery.

The plot, as one would expect from a purposefully absurd send-up, is of lesser importance to the jokes. The co-writer serves them up coming at an amiably humorous rate. There is a homicide, a farcical probe, and a star-crossed attraction involving the charming pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Frivolous Amusement

It's all in lighthearted fun, but that very quality imposes restrictions. The heightened foolishness inherent to parody may tire after a while, and the entertainment value for this specific type expires in the space between a skit and feature.

After a while, audiences could long to go back to a realm of (at least a modicum of) coherence. But, you have to applaud a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves unto oblivion, we might as well see the funny side.