Fackham Hall – This Fast-Paced, Humorous Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Delightfully Throwaway.

It could be the notion of an ending era around us: subsequent to a lengthy span of quiet, the comedic send-up is staging a comeback. The past few months witnessed the revival of this unserious film style, which, in its finest form, skewers the pretensions of excessively solemn genre with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and stupid-clever puns.

Playful eras, so it goes, beget deliberately shallow, joke-dense, welcome light entertainment.

The Newest Entry in This Silly Resurgence

The latest of these goofy parodies comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the easily mockable airs of wealthy British period dramas. The screenplay comes from stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of inspiration to draw from and uses all of it.

Starting with a absurd opening all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable upper-class adventure packs every one of its hour and a half with puns and routines running the gamut from the childish up to the truly humorous.

A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants

Much like Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of extremely pompous aristocrats and very obsequious servants. The narrative focuses on the hapless Lord Davenport (portrayed by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their children in separate tragic accidents, their plans fall upon finding matches for their two girls.

One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the aristocratic objective of an engagement to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). But after she withdraws, the onus shifts to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as a "dried-up husk already and and holds dangerously modern notions concerning a woman's own mind.

Where the Laughs Succeeds

The film fares much better when satirizing the stifling expectations imposed on pre-war ladies – a topic often mined for earnest storytelling. The archetype of proper, coveted womanhood offers the best comic targets.

The narrative thread, as is fitting for a deliberately silly send-up, is secondary to the jokes. The co-writer delivers them maintaining an amiably humorous clip. Included is a killing, an incompetent investigation, and an illicit love affair involving the plucky pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

Limitations and Pure Silliness

Everything is in the spirit of playful comedy, however, this approach imposes restrictions. The heightened absurdity inherent to parody may tire after a while, and the mileage on this particular variety expires in the space between a skit and feature.

At a certain point, audiences could long to return to stories with (at least a modicum of) coherence. Nevertheless, one must applaud a genuine dedication to the craft. In an age where we might to amuse ourselves to death, we might as well find the humor in it.