Fackham Hall – A Fast-Paced, Humorous Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Pleasantly Ephemeral.

Maybe the sense of end times in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of dormancy, the spoof is enjoying a comeback. The past few months witnessed the revival of this playful category, which, when done well, skewers the pretensions of pompously earnest genres with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.

Playful periods, it seems, beget knowingly unserious, laugh-filled, welcome light amusement.

The Newest Entry in This Goofy Resurgence

The newest of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that needles the highly satirizable pretensions of wealthy British period dramas. Penned in part by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has plenty of inspiration to work with and wastes none of it.

Starting with a absurd opening all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this amusing silver-spoon romp crams every one of its runtime with gags and sketches running the gamut from the puerile all the way to the genuinely funny.

A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants

Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a pastiche of overly dignified rich people and excessively servile help. The narrative revolves around the incompetent Lord Davenport (brought to life by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their children in various calamitous events, their plans fall upon securing unions for their two girls.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the dynastic aim of betrothal to the suitable close relative, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). But after she pulls out, the onus transfers to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered a spinster already and and holds radically progressive notions about women's independence.

The Film's Comedy Lands Most Effectively

The spoof is significantly more successful when sending up the suffocating expectations forced upon pre-war ladies – a topic often mined for earnest storytelling. The trope of idealized femininity provides the richest material for mockery.

The plot, as befitting a purposefully absurd send-up, takes a back seat to the gags. The writer keeps them arriving at a consistently comedic clip. There is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance featuring the charming thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

Limitations and Pure Silliness

It's all for harmless amusement, though that itself has limitations. The amplified silliness inherent to parody can wear quickly, and the entertainment value for this specific type runs out somewhere between a skit and a full-length film.

At a certain point, you might wish to return to stories with (very slight) coherence. Yet, it's necessary to applaud a genuine dedication to the artform. Given that we are to amuse ourselves to death, we might as well find the humor in it.