‘Fackham’ gleefully flaunts its ‘Abbey’-normal brain
With its plethora of dad jokes, chronic flatulence and cheesy sight gags, I desperately wanted to hate the silly “Fackham Hall.” But damned if this “Downton Abbey” send-up didn’t win me over with its effusive eagerness to please.
It helps that it features a terrific cast of acclaimed dramatic actors dipping their toes into absurdist comedy and, as a result, having the time of their lives. Chief among them, Damian Lewis. From beneath his Dagwood Bumstead coif, Lewis’s Lord Davenport is a case study in dim-wittedness, the perfect antithesis of “Abbey’s” Earl of Grantham, matched only by Katherine Waterston as his equally clueless spouse, Lady Davenport. The most efficient way to couch their appeal is sofa so good.
If that pun makes you giggle, then “Fackham Hall” is for you. If it makes you groan, stay clear because there are dozens more like it in director Jim O’Hanlon’s “Austin Powers”-like parody of the stuffy British aristocracy putting on airs as they face financial ruin at the height of the Great Depression.
Such are the dire circumstances that challenge Lord and Lady Davenport as friends and family gather at their sprawling country estate for the lavish wedding of their youngest daughter, free-spirited Poppy (Emma Laird), to her monied first cousin, the oafish Archibald Davenport (Tom Felton). The belief is that once the I dos are exchanged, their new inbred son-in-law will relieve the family of its massive debt. But, alas, Poppy’s heart belongs to a poor, hirsute manure spreader. Again, if that makes you chuckle, “Fackham Hall” is your cup of tea. If not, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
With Poppy out of the picture, the Lord and Lady plot to convince Archibald to wed their other daughter, “the dried-up spinster,” Rose (Thomason McKenzie), who, at age 23, appears doomed to become the family dowager. But little do the Lord and Lady know that Rose pines for the new servant boy, and petty criminal, Eric Noone (pronounced “No-one”). He’s played charmingly by fresh-faced Ben Radcliffe.
The fate of their upstairs-downstairs romance provides the film’s loosey-goosey plot, and the actors play it, for the most part, straight. In actuality, it’s merely a device for the film’s five writers, led by popular British comedian Jimmy Carr, to anchor an onslaught of jokes – some good, some awful – ranging from a minister (Carr) uttering a crass sermon due to his tendency to overlook punctuation marks, to the Davenports’ frequent guest, J.R.R. Tolkien, who pinches bits and pieces of conversations to include in a novel he’s set in a far-off place called Middle-earth.
Speaking of famed writers, the film endeavors to add intrigue by veering into Agatha Christie territory, introducing a murder that can only be solved by the supersleuth, Inspector Watt (Tim Goodman-Hill), who has nothing on his “Knives Out” counterpart, Benoit Blanc. As Watt cleverly points out, everyone is a suspect except the deceased. His surname also proves ripe for some “Who’s on first” wordplay that doesn’t quite work.
But then, that’s the beauty of “Fackham Hall,” often mispronounced as Fuck-um-all.” Its pranks come so fast and furious that if one fails, there’s another one directly behind it that works. It’s also mercifully brief and streamlined, grabbing hold and not letting go until the credits roll. Oh, and to top it off, it features Hayley Mills as its narrator! Still, it’s no “Airplane,” which it aspires to be. But “Fackham Hall” has its moments of brilliance. Lord knows the likes of “Downton Abbey,” “Gosford Park,” and “Upstairs Downstairs” are practically begging to be mocked. And for the most part, “Fackham Hall” does it well. And to those who disagree? Well, Fack off, wanker!
Movie review
Fackham Hall
Rated: R for language and crude humor
Cast: Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston, Thomason McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Hayley Mills and Tom Felton
Director: Jim O’Hanlon
Writers: Jimmy Carr, Patrick Carr, Andrew Dawson, Steve Dawson and Tim Inman
Runtime: 97 minutes
Where: In theaters Dec. 5 (limited)
Grade: B-
