“From the studio that watched the first two season of Downton Abby.”
Having never watched Downton Abby, I can’t speak to any parallels between this film, and the television series turned movie. However, the good thing about a parody is that you don’t have to be familiar with the source material to enjoy it. Which is exactly what I did with Fackham Hall. This aristocratic parody which comedically showcased the talents of Damian Lewis (Billions), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts), and Ben Radcliffe (The Witcher), gave shades of iconic parodies such as Airplane and the Naked Gun. Even the title, which also serves as the setting of the film, is in on the joke (say it aloud and you’ll understand). Speaking of the classic mystery parody, Fackham Hall has a mystery of its own weaved into the plot, which serves as the main driving force of the film as a prominent member of the family is found murder and suspicion falls on everyone.
An important detail for any parody movies is its pop culture references and, in this film, they were plentiful. With comedic references to Taylor Swift, Jonah Hill, Phoebe Wall Bridge, Carrie Underwood, and Ricki Lake just to name a few, the film doesn’t disappoint with establishing itself firmly in this genre. Some of them can be a bit subtle, so you have to be sure to be on the look out for them, which for me, adding to the film’s overall intrigue. I’m not sure I caught them all, but it was fun when I heard or spotted them.
However, the biggest parody was probably that of Agatha Christie’s most infamous detective, the mustached Hercule Poirot. In the case of this film, the spoofed character goes by Inspector Watt (played by Tom Goodman-Hill of Baby Reindeer fame) and his mustache is detachable, hiding a smaller, less curved one underneath. Goodman-Hill is good in the role, taking every opportunity to gain a laugh for being the most imperceptive detective. Another interesting character is Radcliffe’s Eric Noone, Fackham Hall’s new houseboy, who is wide eye to the new splendor he finds himself surrounded by, as well as being wide-eyed for Rose Davenport, the Davenport family’s eldest daughter. Their chemistry provides a litany of laughs, particularly during their evening together.
I would have liked there to have been more with Damian Lewis character, as I am a big fan of the actor and have been for many years, but I also understand the reason behind it, and I’m sure you will too upon seeing the film. I’d just be curious to see what other directions; he could have taken the character. This does not take away from the quality of the film itself, just my biased opinion. Even without him, there was plenty to enjoy and several other recognizable faces, such as Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingston) as the flighty younger sister and Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland) Mrs. McAllister as the cold and calculating housekeeper. However, no character will top the vicar with the habit of poorly timing the punctuation in his sermons. He was by far my favorite character; his timing was just immaculate. This makes since given that he co-wrote the film. It’s made me curious about this comedian, who I previously never heard of. And just like that, I have a new talent to learn about.
I will say to appreciate the film you will require an appreciation for British humor, dry wit, and international pop culture references. Correct, while there are may American pop culture references, there are even more that are from across the pond. Many of them are quite obvious, but there were a few subtle ones, just as it was with the American references.
As I mentioned earlier, if you are a fan of this genre of film and have a appreciate for British humor, you will undoubtably enjoy Fackham Hall as much as I did. The gags are non-stop, while they can at times overwhelm the plot, it in no way makes it less of an entertaining experience.
