Film Review – Fackham Hall (2025)

      Fackham Hall, 2025.

      Directed by Jim O’Hanlon.

      Featuring Thomasin McKenzie, Emma Laird, Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston, Lizzie Hopley, Tom Felton, Tom Goodman-Hill, Lee Boardman, Ben Radcliffe, Lily Knight, Jimmy Carr, Charlie Rawes, Adam Woodward, Nathan Hall, Alex Butler, Magdalena Sverlander, Tim McMullan, Laurie Ogden, Paula Wharton, Gemma Wardle, and Erin Austen.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A new porter develops an unusual connection with the youngest daughter of a prominent UK family, as the Davenports, led by Lord and Lady Davenport, face the chaotic fallout of their eldest daughter’s wedding to her unscrupulous cousin.

      The title of director Jim O’Hanlon’s parody of a certain well-known, long-running British royal series on Netflix cleverly encapsulates the humor to expect in Fackham Hall. It sounds akin to a robust four-letter curse word that, ironically, was likely never uttered in that relatively family-friendly series. It also exemplifies how nearly every joke here is, in some manner, completely literal, evoking a similarity to the classic Naked Gun series. Essentially, this is a British Naked Gun with a Downton Abbey twist. It’s as absurdly funny as that notion suggests.

      Focusing on the aristocratic Davenport family, the film has a collaborative writing team whose numerous names would typically indicate trouble, yet here it appears everyone was aligned in terms of the craft, tone, and humor. The plot revolves around the challenges of ensuring Fackham Hall remains associated with their name. With no male heirs (his sons George, Ringo… you get the joke), Lord Davenport (Damien Lewis) must rely on one of his two daughters to marry a first cousin, leading to multiple jokes regarding incest and the struggles faced by women in the 1930s.

      The two daughters are Poppy (Emma Laird), who is preparing to make the ultimate sacrifice by marrying Archibald Davenport (Tom Felton), and 23-year-old Rose (Thomasin McKenzie, delightfully stepping away from her typically serious roles to engage in some slapstick humor), who is the more progressive of the two and finds herself attracted to activities like reading, which makes her less appealing to the dim-witted, privileged suitors around her. Don't worry; there are plenty of visual gags related to roses, and each name and word here typically circles back to a joke.

      Without revealing too much (the narrative contains several unexpected twists and delightful surprises), it is left to Rose to consider compromising her principles by marrying a first cousin. Another obstacle is her growing affection for the new house servant, Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe), a literal nobody unworthy of marrying into such affluence. They have some time to navigate this situation, provided Lord Davenport remains alive, which is questionable as he continuously finds himself in increasingly absurd and dangerous predicaments.

      The jokes scarcely require elaboration; expect copious wordplay, nods to Downton Abbey, and the occasional astute modern reference (including a servant named Siri). This is certainly not groundbreaking in terms of filmmaking or storytelling, and some of the easy-target jokes occasionally feel repetitive and overdone. Nevertheless, it's impressive that such a whimsical project can maintain its charm, even as secrets unfold and relationships evolve. Fackham Hall remains consistently funny and filled with humor throughout, although it excels more before the main plot involving Rose begins to take shape. It’s also refreshing to see this style of comedy making a spirited revival.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder