Fackham Hall – A Brisk, Funny Takeoff on Downton Which Is Delightfully Lightweight.

Perhaps the notion of an ending era around us: following a long period of quiet, the spoof is making a return. The past few months observed the rebirth of this playful category, which, in its finest form, skewers the grandiosity of excessively solemn genre with a barrage of pitched clichés, physical comedy, and ridiculously smart wordplay.

Unserious times, apparently, give rise to self-awarely frivolous, gag-packed, welcome light amusement.

The Latest Addition in This Absurd Wave

The most recent of these absurd spoofs is Fackham Hall, a takeoff on the British period drama that pokes fun at the highly satirizable self-importance of opulent UK historical series. Penned in part by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the film has plenty of source material to draw from and uses all of it.

Opening on a absurd opening and culminating in a ludicrous finish, this entertaining upper-class adventure fills each of its runtime with puns and routines ranging from the childish up to the authentically hilarious.

A Pastiche of The Gentry and Staff

Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall presents a pastiche of extremely pompous aristocrats and overly fawning staff. The story revolves around the feckless Lord Davenport (played by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their male heirs in various unfortunate mishaps, their plans now rest on marrying off their offspring.

The junior daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the dynastic aim of an engagement to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a wonderfully unctuous Tom Felton). However when she withdraws, the onus transfers to the unattached elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered a spinster already and and holds dangerously modern notions regarding a woman's own mind.

Its Comedy Lands Most Effectively

The film fares much better when sending up the oppressive social constraints imposed on Edwardian-era females – a subject typically treated for earnest storytelling. The archetype of proper, coveted femininity supplies the best punching bags.

The storyline, as is fitting for an intentionally ridiculous spoof, is secondary to the jokes. The writer serves them up coming at an amiably humorous rate. Included is a killing, an incompetent investigation, and an illicit love affair between the roguish thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

The Constraints of Lighthearted Fun

It's all in lighthearted fun, however, this approach imposes restrictions. The amplified absurdity characteristic of the genre may tire over time, and the mileage on this particular variety expires at the intersection of sketch and a full-length film.

After a while, one may desire to return to the world of (at least a modicum of) logic. Yet, you have to respect a wholehearted devotion to the craft. Given that we are to amuse ourselves relentlessly, we might as well laugh at it.