Part Downton Abbey send-up and part Airplane!-style farce, Fackham Hall delivers nonstop laughs and firmly earns its spot as one of the year’s best comedies.

Lovable pickpocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) finds work at a unique English manor and quickly climbs the ranks, sparking a forbidden romance with lady-of-the-house Rose Davenport (Thomasin McKenzie). But when a sudden murder rocks the estate, Eric is framed, leaving Rose and her family’s future in jeopardy.

Did you ever think about what could happen if the likes of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker did a send-up of the Downton Abbey franchise? Think no more! Well, it’s not the ZAZ trio but a different director and set of screenwriters altogether tackling the upstairs and the downstairs in the 1930s. I didn’t watch the trailer, but after hearing about Fackham Hall and the idea behind it, I knew it was something that would pique my interest. Never mind the fact that Legion M invested in the film and is co-distributing with Bleecker Street.

I watched Fackham Hall going into the long Thanksgiving weekend. As far as satires go, they are firing on all cylinders in a rather brisk 97 minutes. After all, Britain is a country that has succeeded at both the period drama and comedy. Why not take a stab at mashing them both together in a send-up? Even in its rather short run time, they accomplish so much: love story, rags-to-riches, murder mystery. Usually, seeing five credited writers may mean there are too many cooks in the kitchen, but this is not the case here. It’s the most credited writers I’ve seen for a film since maybe Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

The love story between Eric and Rose is at the center of the plot. Even though the film is full of zingers from start to finish, it’s their arc that must engage us. If not, I don’t know what to tell you other than maybe you just don’t have a sense of humor. If you don’t have a sense of humor, Fackham Hall is most assuredly not a film for you.

The murder mystery plot seems to be lifted from Gosford Park. It’s kind of funny, though, seeing as how both films are satire. But at the same time, Fackham Hall is a film that really makes it its own. In all seriousness, this is the sort of film where you can just sit down and enjoy the ride. Unlike other movies that might require brainpower, this film just requires that its audience be ready to have a fun time. Again, it’s barely over an hour and a half, which is so painless compared to the two-hour films that feel like they’ve lasted forever and a day.

There are so many jokes that you really need more than one viewing of Fackham Hall to find them all. In fact, I found more during a second viewing. They’re visual or verbal, smart or silly. The film’s production notes say there were nearly 300, with some 40ish already spoiled by the trailer. Jim O’Hanlon’s direction handles it all deftly. Speaking for myself, I caught many references to John, Paul, George, and Ringo. As a fan of The Beatles, you know I was smiling and laughing. Only in Britain. But if there’s one joke that I never saw coming, it’s one that I don’t particularly want to get into here, lest I spoil the surprise.

The casting is spot-on. Never mind the fact that Fackham Hall is a satire, but we still have to buy into the idea that these actors could have starred in their dramatic counterparts. I can definitely say that’s the case for so many of them. I was impressed by Thomasin McKenzie’s work in Jojo Rabbit, and then she proceeded to blow me away in the Hitchcock-esque Eileen when I watched the film during Sundance in 2023. She’s absolutely phenomenal here working opposite Ben Radcliffe.

Lord Davenport (Damian Lewis) and Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston) head the household. Lewis plays it straight, and that’s the secret to filming a comedy of this nature. It’s the same thing with The Naked Gun films, and that’s why casting the likes of Leslie Nielsen or Liam Neeson in the lead roles made those films work so well. However, neither Lewis nor anyone else in the cast ever plays it too straight.

Where did they find a location suitable enough to stand in for Fackham Hall? They turned to Knowsley Hall in Liverpool and were allowed to use the in-house historical paintings, furnishings, and decorations. If you’re going for authenticity, it doesn’t get much better than this. Plus, it helps to sell the satire. If it were a less impressive building, it wouldn’t be the same.

Fackham Hall is a film that is enjoyed best while watching with an audience. Take it from me: watching a press screener in a solo environment is not the way to watch a comedy. No, they’re best enjoyed while served in a communal setting.

DIRECTOR: Jim O’Hanlon
SCREENWRITERS: Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman, Jimmy Carr, Patrick Carr
CAST: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Katherine Waterston, Emma Laird, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ramon Tikaram, Tim McMullan, with Anna Maxwell Martin and Sue Johnston, with Tom Felton, and Damian Lewis

Bleecker Street and Legion M will release Fackham Hall in theaters on December 5, 2025. Grade: 5/5

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