A Look at Fackham Hall – This Brisk, Witty Downton Abbey Spoof That's Refreshingly Ephemeral.

Perhaps the feeling of end times in the air: after years of dormancy, the comedic send-up is staging a resurgence. This summer saw the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, at its best, mocks the grandiosity of pompously earnest dramas with a barrage of heightened tropes, physical comedy, and stupid-clever puns.

Playful eras, it seems, create an appetite for self-awarely frivolous, laugh-filled, welcome light entertainment.

The Newest Addition in This Goofy Resurgence

The newest of these absurd spoofs comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a Downton Abbey spoof that jabs at the highly satirizable pretensions of opulent British period dramas. Penned in part by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the movie has a wealth of source material to work with and exploits every bit of it.

From a absurd opening all the way to its preposterous conclusion, this amusing upper-class adventure crams every one of its 97 minutes with puns and routines running the gamut from the puerile to the authentically hilarious.

A Pastiche of Aristocrats and Servants

Similar to Downton, Fackham Hall offers a pastiche of very self-important rich people and overly fawning staff. The narrative revolves around the feckless Lord Davenport (brought to life by a wonderfully pretentious Damian Lewis) and his literature-hating wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). Having lost their male heirs in a series of calamitous events, their hopes fall upon finding matches for their offspring.

The younger daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the family goal of betrothal to the right first cousin, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). However when she pulls out, the burden shifts to the unmarried elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid already and who harbors unladylike beliefs regarding women's independence.

Where the Comedy Succeeds

The film is significantly more successful when sending up the oppressive norms forced upon early 20th-century ladies – an area typically treated for po-faced melodrama. The stereotype of idealized femininity offers the richest punching bags.

The narrative thread, as befitting an intentionally ridiculous parody, is of lesser importance to the bits. Carr keeps them coming at an amiably humorous pace. There is a killing, a bungled inquiry, and an illicit love affair between the charming pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

A Note on Pure Silliness

Everything is in the spirit of playful comedy, but that very quality imposes restrictions. The dialed-up absurdity inherent to parody may tire quickly, and the mileage for this specific type diminishes at the intersection of a skit and a full-length film.

After a while, you might wish to retreat to a realm of (at least a modicum of) logic. Yet, one must admire a sincere commitment to this type of comedy. In an age where we might to entertain ourselves relentlessly, we might as well find the humor in it.