A Look at Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Humorous Downton Abbey Spoof That's Refreshingly Throwaway.
Maybe the sense of end times in the air: following a long period of dormancy, the spoof is staging a comeback. This summer observed the rebirth of this playful category, which, at its best, mocks the self-importance of excessively solemn dramas with a torrent of pitched clichés, physical comedy, and stupid-clever puns.
Playful eras, apparently, beget self-awarely frivolous, laugh-filled, refreshingly shallow fun.
A Recent Offering in This Silly Trend
The most recent of these absurd spoofs arrives as Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the easily mockable airs of opulent UK historical series. Co-written by stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of source material to work with and uses all of it.
Starting with a ludicrous start to a ludicrous finish, this entertaining silver-spoon romp packs every one of its hour and a half with jokes and bits that vary from the juvenile all the way to the authentically hilarious.
A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants
In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of extremely pompous rich people and very obsequious servants. The plot revolves around the incompetent Lord Davenport (portrayed by a delightfully mannered Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in separate tragic accidents, their hopes now rest on securing unions for their offspring.
The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of a promise to marry the appropriate close relative, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). Yet after she backs out, the pressure falls upon the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is a "dried-up husk of a woman" and who harbors radically progressive beliefs about a woman's own mind.
Where the Comedy Lands Most Effectively
The parody fares much better when satirizing the stifling social constraints forced upon early 20th-century ladies – an area frequently explored for self-serious drama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable womanhood offers the richest punching bags.
The narrative thread, as befitting an intentionally ridiculous parody, is secondary to the bits. The writer keeps them arriving at a pleasantly funny clip. There is a murder, an incompetent investigation, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.
Limitations and Frivolous Amusement
The entire affair is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality comes with constraints. The dialed-up absurdity of a spoof might grate after a while, and the mileage for this specific type expires at the intersection of sketch and a full-length film.
After a while, you might wish to return to stories with (at least a modicum of) coherence. But, one must admire a sincere commitment to the artform. If we're going to entertain ourselves to death, let's at least find the humor in it.
