Fackham Hall: Learn From The Stupid
(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com, Steve's Tumblr, and Pillowfort.Ā Find out more at my newsletter, and all my social media at my linktr.ee)
So I recently saw Fackham Hall. Itās a movie that was advertised as sort of āNaked Gun But For Stuffy British Stuff.ā I am pleased to report I enjoyed it, it was also very stupid, and thereās actually something to learn from it. Enough that I want to share.
So first of all, if you wonder āwill I like it,ā Iād say that Fackham Hall is actually in the vein of the 2025 Deathstalker film that was an homage to old direct-to video fantasy. There is an intended audience, and if you are in that audience, you will enjoy it. If you are not, donāt bother. This is a film for people whoāve watched a lot of Stuffy British Stuff and have a sense of humor about it.
Now when it comes to a comedy the question is are the jokes any good? Fackham Hall has a lot of jokes in it, of extremely varied quality, but you wonāt be lacking jokes. Not all of them are good, Iād say that the overall humor is āOK,ā thereās plenty of laughs. Thereās an over-reliance on crudity for the most part that I found offputting, but there are plenty of actually good jokes.
Two things stand out from the humor. The first is that there are jokes where the setup is actually part of the humor, where you realize how far the movie went for a joke or a sudden case where one thing suddenly becomes funny due to one tiny action. The second is there are a few scenes that authentically stand out, most notable an extended dialogue joke in the vein of āWhoās on firstā that had me in tears. There is effort here, albeit it makes some of the low-effort jokes more obvious.
Fackham Hall does have two larger lessons, a minor one and a major one I want to explore. These are enough that they provide lessons for other comedies.
The minor lesson is that Fackham Hall actually has a plot that drives the story forward, if erratically. The Davenport family risks losing their beloved estate unless their daughter marries the cousin due to inherit it - and the disruption of a roguish young visitor and an eventual murder add chaos to the countdown. Some characters have their own concerns and sidestories. Thereās enough here to power a general movie, and that gives the film plenty of energy, even if the actual plot could have been used more in the jokes.
The major lesson is the cast and the acting. For all itās silliness the cast acts as seriously as if they were in a dramatic film. Itās not deadpan, itās a talented lot of actors acting as if this is a film of drama and danger and intrigue and love. Watching people do the stupidest things with great sincerity and gravitas takes the film farther and makes even lame jokes actually funnier.
Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Radcliffe take on the role of inevitable lovers, and show actual chemistry and charm together. Emma Laird, whoās characterās marriage shenanigans drive the early part of the film has a scene of emotional breakdown where she is crying and screaming while also upending the common tropes of said scene. Tim McMullan plays Cyril, the family butler with absolute seriousness while also being the butt of a movie-long joke he leans into and keeps going.
The absolute standout is Damian Lewis as the Davenport family patriarch, Humphrey. Lewis invests this somewhat befuddled and inbred character with charm and sensitivity, making him actually likeable. Thereās even a scene where he expresses his fatherly love to one of his daughters that is touching. Jokes be damned, Lewis was acting and nothing stopped him, not even the script.
What made Fackham Hall work was - ironically - what makes a good movie. Give it a plot and get actors who will act. It can even elevate some poor jokes or missed opportunities. I enjoyed this enough that I actually got curious to see the actors in other works, especially Mr. Lewis.
Itās not every day you can take lessons in comedy from a film that includes J.R.R. Tolkien farting, but here you go. My kudos to the cast.
blakekathryn
prguitarman
