Could the parody film make a comeback? Whether due to Hollywood studios losing interest in comedies or niche-filling short-form content, films that exist to lampoon other films and TV shows have been on their way out in recent years. But Akiva Schaffer’s reboot of “The Naked Gun,” directed by Liam Neeson, has become one of the summer’s big hits, suggesting there’s still a big 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 rising through the ranks of the hierarchy in order to make an ensemble of eccentric aristocrats laugh.
An official synopsis for the film reads: “A parody that crosses ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Airplane!’ and “Monty Python,” Fackham Hall follows lovable pickpocket Eric Noone as he lands a job at a unique English mansion. He quickly rose through the ranks and a forbidden romance with hostess Rose Davenport blossomed. But when an unexpected murder occurs, Eric is trapped, leaving the future of Rose and her family dangerously 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 screenplay was co-written by Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Imman,
Jimmy Carr and Patrick Carr, with Danny Perkins, Kris Thykier and Mila Cottray 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 mansion. The Julian Fellowes-created series officially bid farewell to fans with the September release of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” which marked the end of a story that spanned six television seasons and three feature films.
Out of Bleecker Street, “Fackham Hall” hits theaters on Friday, December 5. Watch the trailer below.
