Fackham Hall Review – This Brisk, Witty Takeoff on Downton That's Pleasantly Ephemeral.

Perhaps the sense of end times in the air: following a long period of dormancy, the parody is staging a resurgence. The recent season saw the rebirth of this playful category, which, when done well, skewers the pretensions of pompously earnest genre with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and dumb-brilliant double entendres.

Unserious eras, apparently, beget self-awarely frivolous, laugh-filled, pleasantly insubstantial amusement.

A Recent Entry in This Absurd Resurgence

The most recent of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the highly satirizable airs of wealthy British period dramas. Co-written by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and directed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature finds ample of inspiration to work with and uses all of it.

Starting with a absurd opening and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this amusing aristocratic caper crams each of its hour and a half with gags and sketches running the gamut from the juvenile up to the genuinely funny.

A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff

Much like Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of very self-important the nobility and excessively servile servants. The story focuses on the incompetent Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their children in separate calamitous events, their aspirations now rest on marrying off their daughters.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has accomplished the family goal of a promise to marry the suitable kinsman, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). But after she withdraws, the burden transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered a "dried-up husk already and and possesses unladylike beliefs concerning female autonomy.

The Film's Laughs Lands Most Effectively

The film fares much better when sending up the stifling expectations imposed on Edwardian-era ladies – a topic typically treated for self-serious drama. The archetype of idealized ladylike behavior provides the richest punching bags.

The storyline, as is fitting for a deliberately silly spoof, is secondary to the gags. The writer serves them up maintaining an amiably humorous clip. Included is a killing, an incompetent investigation, and a star-crossed attraction featuring the charming street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Pure Silliness

The entire affair is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality has limitations. The amplified absurdity of a spoof can wear over time, and the comic fuel for this specific type expires at the intersection of a skit and a full-length film.

At a certain point, one may desire to retreat to the world of (very slight) logic. But, you have to applaud a genuine dedication to the artform. Given that we are to entertain ourselves unto oblivion, let's at least see the funny side.