Fackham Hall was overdue. How many self serious British period pieces have we sat through at this point in time? Even the very funny Downton Abbey is convinced of its own grandeur and needed to be taken down a peg. That’s no better place for the Dawson Brothers and Jimmy Carr to enter, armed with their acid laced laptops. Regal but stupid: a perfect encapsulation of Britain, the same place that brought us Shakespeare and Monty Python.
Fackham Hall is run by the Lord (Damian Lewis) and Lady (Katherine Waterston) Davenport, one of the oldest richest incestuous families in the UK. Having lost their 4 sons in horrific coincidental ways, it’s now up to Poppy (Emma Laird) Davenport to step up for her family, and marry her first cousin Archibald (Tom Felton) so the estate can stay in the family. This frees up youngest daughter Rose (Thomasin McKenzie) foolishly to spend her life reading and learning. On one fateful day, Rose crashes the Davenport car into Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe), an orphan on his way to deliver a letter to the Davenport estate. Both are smitten, which helps Eric get a job at Fackham Hall, learning from the lower class and head maid (Anna Maxwell Martin) and head butler Cyril (Tim McMullan). At the same time, he sneakily mingles with the upper class Rose, the other Davenports, Great Aunt Bonaparte (Sue Johnston), and the Bechtel Sisters, among others.
Wonderful pun aside, Fackham Hall is trying to be the Airplane of the period piece drama. High ambitions! Fortunately, Jimmy Carr is a great comedian, and has the stuff to make this movie work. Like Airplane, Fackham Hall is built upon joke layering. No matter what you think is funny, this comedy’s got something in every scene for you. Take the opening party. Downton Abbey fans will instantly recognize all the costumes on our leads, openly mocking the characters in the movie. Brit lit fan? There’s JRR Tolkien, part of an incredible runner as he’s talking about this new weird book he’s writing about the middle of Earth, or something. History buff? There’s Aunt Bonaparte, as you try to square the timelines between her birth (?) and present day (1931) as well as the decor. Sight gagger? There’s Eric, pouring champagne for the children cause, let’s face it, their glass was empty? King of a reference? Hey Cyril, play dance music! Prat falls? “Eric, did you close the cellar door?” And if you’re a movie buff like me? Everything the Bechtel sisters say is hilarious. And that’s all about 10-15 minutes? Scene to scene, Carr and and Dawson Bros inject those levels of humor, featuring one or the other to give every person a chance to chuckle. Also like Airplane, we’re flying through gags, second to second, meaning if you’re getting bored, just wait a minute, your time will come again.
Delivering Fackham Hall’s wonderful dialogue are a gaggle of wonderfully cast actors who fully commit to the bit. Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Radcliffe basically play it straight, the romantic glue holding the story together, though like great teammates, when asked for a reaction shot or a funny sight gag, they’re ready to deliver. Damian Lewis and Katherine Waterston are having a ball here, using their serious personas to play against type as daffy aristocrats, particularly Lewis who has maybe the best scene in the film. Tom Felton is playing stupider Draco Malfoy, content to be the butt of the joke over and over again, filthy little Mudblood he is (no Harry Potter jokes Jimmy? What restraint you have!) I loved Anna Maxwell Martin’s head maid, basically using all the secrets and voyeurism to play her like a serial killer. Tom Goodman-Hill’s Inspector Watt is doing Hercule Poirot by Monty Python, leading the best “Who’s on first?” sequence I’ve seen in a while. Sue Johnston is doing Maggie Smith with Gen Z dialogue, no cap! And Jimmy Carr himself happily plays his part, as the Vicar who reads too far ahead into his sentences (he must’ve had a blast writing those monologues).
So, when in doubt, Fackham Hall! I do wonder what’s the next genre of movie that needs a real dressing down. I think it would be hilarious to spoof a Kelly Reichardt movie. Those quiet, human stories with a demented clown or Nicholas Cage would be funny as hell. Sorry, redundant I know.