A Look at Fackham Hall – A Rapid-Fire, Witty Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Pleasantly Throwaway.

Perhaps the notion of an ending era pervading: following a long period of inactivity, the comedic send-up is staging a comeback. The recent season observed the re-emergence of this unserious film style, which, when done well, mocks the pretensions of overly serious dramas with a torrent of pitched clichés, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.

Frivolous periods, so it goes, give rise to self-awarely frivolous, joke-dense, pleasantly insubstantial amusement.

The Latest Offering in This Silly Trend

The newest of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that pokes fun at the easily mockable airs of gilded UK historical series. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of inspiration to work with and exploits every bit of it.

Starting with a ridiculous beginning and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this amusing aristocratic caper packs all of its runtime with jokes and bits running the gamut from the puerile to the genuinely funny.

A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants

Much like Downton, Fackham Hall offers a pastiche of extremely pompous aristocrats and very obsequious servants. The plot focuses on the hapless Lord Davenport (played by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their four sons in various unfortunate mishaps, their hopes are pinned on marrying off their offspring.

The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the family goal of an engagement to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). Yet when she withdraws, the burden shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a spinster already and who harbors unladylike ideas concerning female autonomy.

Where the Comedy Works Best

The parody fares much better when sending up the suffocating norms imposed on early 20th-century women – a subject frequently explored for self-serious drama. The stereotype of respectable, enviable womanhood supplies the best comic targets.

The narrative thread, as befitting an intentionally ridiculous spoof, takes a back seat to the gags. The writer serves them up arriving at a consistently comedic rate. Included is a murder, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance between the plucky thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Frivolous Amusement

Everything is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The heightened silliness of a spoof may tire over time, and the comic fuel on this particular variety runs out at the intersection of a skit and feature.

After a while, you might wish to go back to stories with (at least a modicum of) reason. Yet, you have to applaud a wholehearted devotion to the artform. If we're going to distract ourselves relentlessly, we might as well see the funny side.