Fackham Hall Review – A Rapid-Fire, Funny Parody of Downton Abbey That's Pleasantly Lightweight.

Perhaps the notion of end times in the air: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the parody is enjoying a comeback. The past few months witnessed the revival of this playful category, which, when done well, mocks the self-importance of overly serious dramas with a torrent of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and ridiculously smart wordplay.

Playful eras, it seems, beget deliberately shallow, laugh-filled, refreshingly shallow entertainment.

The Newest Offering in This Silly Wave

The latest of these goofy parodies arrives as Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the easily mockable airs of wealthy British period dramas. Penned in part by stand-up performer Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature has a wealth of material to mine and uses all of it.

From a ludicrous start and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this enjoyable silver-spoon romp packs every one of its hour and a half with puns and routines ranging from the childish up to the truly humorous.

A Send-Up of Aristocrats and Servants

In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a caricature of overly dignified aristocrats and very obsequious help. The plot centers on the feckless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their four sons in separate tragic accidents, their plans are pinned on marrying off their daughters.

One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of betrothal to the right kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). However after she pulls out, the onus transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), described as an old maid already and and holds unladylike ideas about women's independence.

The Film's Laughs Succeeds

The film is significantly more successful when sending up the suffocating norms placed on early 20th-century ladies – an area typically treated for self-serious drama. The stereotype of proper, coveted femininity supplies the most fertile comic targets.

The narrative thread, as one would expect from a purposefully absurd send-up, takes a back seat to the gags. Carr serves them up arriving at an amiably humorous rate. Included is a homicide, a bungled inquiry, and an illicit love affair involving the roguish street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Lighthearted Fun

Everything is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach has limitations. The heightened silliness inherent to parody may tire quickly, and the entertainment value in this instance expires at the intersection of sketch and feature.

At a certain point, you might wish to return to stories with (at least a modicum of) logic. But, one must respect a genuine dedication to this type of comedy. Given that we are to amuse ourselves relentlessly, let's at least find the humor in it.