Could the spoof film be making a comeback? Whether it’s due to Hollywood studios losing interest in comedies or short form content filling the niche, movies that exist to lampoon other movies and TV shows have been a dying breed in recent years. But Akiva Schaffer’s Liam Neeson-led reboot of “The Naked Gun” became one of the breakout hits of the summer, suggesting that there’s still a large audience for a great parody.
Perhaps that momentum will extend to “Fackham Hall,” a new comedy from director Jim O’Hanlon that seeks to lampoon British period pieces like “Downton Abbey” with the same irreverence that “The Naked Gun” applied to police procedurals and crime dramas. Set in the English countryside, the film uses the classic plot of a lower class criminal working his way up through the hierarchy in order to extract laughs from an ensemble of eccentric aristocrats.
An official synopsis for the film reads: “A spoof that crosses ‘Downton Abbey’ with ‘Airplane!’ and ‘Monty Python,’ Fackham Hall follows lovable pick-pocket Eric Noone as he lands a job at a unique English manor house. He quickly rises through the ranks, and a forbidden romance with lady-of-the-house Rose Davenport blossoms. But when an unexpected murder occurs, Eric gets framed leaving Rose and her family’s future perilously uncertain.”
“Fackham Hall” stars Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Katherine Waterston, Emma Laird, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ramon Tikaram, Tim McMullan, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sue Johnston, Tom Felton, and Damian Lewis. The script was co-written by Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Imman,
Jimmy Carr, and Patrick Carr, with Danny Perkins, Kris Thykier, and Mila Cottray serving as producers.
The comedy could prove to be a perfect palate cleanser for “Downton Abbey” fans who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the residents of their favorite British manor. The Julian Fellowes-created series officially bid fans farewell with the September release of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” which marked the end of a story that spanned six TV seasons and three feature films.
A Bleecker Street release, “Fackham Hall” opens in theaters on Friday, December 5. Watch the trailer below.