‘Fackham Hall’ (2025) Movie Review - A Very Dumb, Very Effective Comedy

Jim O'Hanlon's Fackham Hall looks like a parody of Downton Abbey, and it will remind you of movies like Airplane!, Knives Out, and Gosford Park. Actually, this is less of a film and more of a 97-minute, SNL-like skit. That's why, I think, it would be futile to talk about its plot or story. The success of a film like this lies entirely in its ability to make the audience laugh so hard they fall out of their seats.

In that respect, I'm happy to report that Fackham Hall works tremendously. It has the kind of dumb jokes that are right up my alley (go on, judge me). For instance, a sign reads, "Nofolks Orphanage. Recycling Children Since 1808." "Tailor Swift" is the name of a shop that claims to be the fastest tailor in Britain (a joke I've often cracked in my head). This is the sort of comedy where the narrator explains that the Davenports never had to lift a finger thanks to their servants, and we then see Humphrey/Lord Davenport (Damian Lewis) sipping tea with the help of his attendant.

There is a priest (Jimmy Carr) in the film who undoubtedly gets the most hilarious lines. Sample: "God is touching you all in your private places." (A pause, as the priest studies his notes carefully.) "God is touching you all. In your private places, in your darkest times, God is there, shining a light." I won't reveal any more of his lines. Rest assured, they are the best thing about this movie.

Critics sometimes use words like "hilarious" or claim they "had to be hospitalized" when reviewing a good comedy. Of course, that's how they try to tell their readers that they enjoyed the movie. But when I say Carr's character had me in tears, split my sides, made me fall out of my seat, and nearly left me thinking I might need medical attention, I am not exaggerating for effect. These were my genuine reactions. I don't think any other comedy this year elicited such a wild response from me.

Fackham Hall starts as a poor-boy–rich-girl romance and then, midway through, turns into a murder mystery. Because the tone is already so gleefully unhinged, the shift doesn't make you roll your eyes. You simply rub your hands together and murmur, "Sure—why not? Hit me." And yes, even the title is a joke I won't spoil.

This material, written by Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman, Jimmy Carr, and Patrick Carr, could easily have become exhausting. Some viewers will undoubtedly struggle to tune into the film's frequency. You need a very particular sense of humor to appreciate something like this. Even then, the chances of failure are high; nonstop gags can be draining if they don't land effectively. Fackham Hall, however, dodges this problem thanks to a cast with superb comic timing and a director who knows exactly when to cut and how long to hold a scene (the pause while pub patrons wait for Rose [Thomasin McKenzie] to finish a song lyric is perfectly judged).

All in all, if I end up making a year-end list, I think Fackham Hall will be on it. I really, really, really had a good time with it. 

Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times