Fackham Hall – This Fast-Paced, Humorous Downton Abbey Spoof That's Delightfully Throwaway.

It could be the notion of uncertain days around us: subsequent to a lengthy span of inactivity, the parody is making a return. This summer observed the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, lampoons the self-importance of excessively solemn genre with a barrage of exaggerated stereotypes, sight gags, and stupid-clever puns.

Unserious eras, apparently, give rise to deliberately shallow, gag-packed, refreshingly shallow entertainment.

A Recent Addition in This Goofy Resurgence

The newest of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that pokes fun at the easily mockable pretensions of gilded English costume epics. The screenplay comes from British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and overseen by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie finds ample of inspiration to work with and wastes none of it.

From a ridiculous beginning and culminating in a preposterous conclusion, this entertaining aristocratic caper fills all of its hour and a half with puns and routines ranging from the childish all the way to the authentically hilarious.

A Send-Up of Aristocrats and Servants

Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall offers a spoof of overly dignified the nobility and overly fawning staff. The story focuses on the hapless Lord Davenport (portrayed by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Following the loss of their children in separate tragic accidents, their hopes are pinned on finding matches for their offspring.

One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of an engagement to the appropriate first cousin, Archibald (a perfectly smarmy Tom Felton). Yet when she pulls out, the pressure shifts to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), considered an old maid at 23 and and holds dangerously modern beliefs concerning female autonomy.

The Film's Comedy Lands Most Effectively

The spoof achieves greater effect when sending up the stifling norms forced upon Edwardian-era females – a subject typically treated for self-serious drama. The archetype of respectable, enviable ladylike behavior offers the best comic targets.

The storyline, as befitting a deliberately silly spoof, is of lesser importance to the gags. The co-writer delivers them coming at a consistently comedic pace. There is a killing, a farcical probe, and an illicit love affair involving the roguish thief Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

Limitations and Lighthearted Fun

Everything is in the spirit of playful comedy, though that itself comes with constraints. The dialed-up silliness characteristic of the genre may tire quickly, and the comic fuel for this specific type runs out somewhere between sketch and feature.

After a while, one may desire to go back to a realm of (very slight) coherence. But, it's necessary to admire a sincere commitment to the craft. If we're going to amuse ourselves unto oblivion, it's preferable to laugh at it.