Movie Review: ‘Fackham Hall’

Thomasin McKenzie, Tom Felton, Ben Radcliffe and Damian Lewis are among the cast for the new comedy movie, which pokes fun at ‘Downton Abbey’ and more.

(L to R): Thomasin McKenzie, Katherine Waterston, Damian Lewis and Tom Felton in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.' Photo: Bleecker Street.

In theaters on December 5 from Bleecker Street is ‘Fackham Hall,’ a new spoof in the ‘Airplane!’ style that has British period pieces such as ‘Downton Abbey’ firmly in its sights.

Fackham Hall

"Born to aristocracy. Bred for idiocy."

RComedy History

Audience
Score

Release Date: Dec 5, 2025

Run Time: 1 hr 37 min

Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Emma Laird

The movie stars Thomasin McKenzie (‘Last Night in Soho’), Ben Radcliffe (‘Masters of the Air’), Tom Felton (‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’), Damian Lewis (‘Billions’) and Katherine Waterston (‘Inherent Vice’).

Initial Thoughts

Jimmy Carr in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.' Photo: Bleecker Street.

In a year where ‘The Naked Gun’ brought spoof movies back to relevance with a swift, funny script, you might be happy to have another in the genre arrive. Unfortunately for fans of joke-laden parodies, ‘Fackham Hall’ turns out to be a grave disappointment.

Script and Direction

(L to R): Damian Lewis and Nathan McMullen in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.'<br /> Photo: Bleecker Street.

(L to R): Damian Lewis and Nathan McMullen in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.'
Photo: Bleecker Street.

Written by comedian Jimmy Carr alongside brother Patrick Carr and colleagues Andrew Dawson, Steve Dawson and Tim Inman and based on an idea by the Carr siblings, ‘Fackham Hall’s script can best be described as “hit and miss” with an emphasis on “miss.”

True, there are one or two very funny jokes in the movie, and it generally moves along in amiable fashion, but so many other gags are either dull, trite or beaten into the ground. Or all three.

And when you end up stealing not one joke (a vicar stumbling over his words) but two (about a wedding guest replying that they’re not the bride or groom) from 31-year-old comedy classic ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ there’s cause for concern.

Director Jim O’Hanlon, meanwhile, has worked on some great TV series, including ‘Catastrophe,’‘Inside No. 9’ and iconic spoof miniseries ‘A Touch of Cloth.’ But here, the script lets him down and try as he might to bring some comic momentum, the result is still only fitfully funny.

Cast and Performances

Ben Radcliffe in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.' Photo: Bleecker Street.

McKenzie and Radcliffe make for an appealing central pair, and they and the rest of the cast do what they can with what the screenplay has to offer. Katherine Waterston spends most of the movie looking like she’d rather be anywhere else, while the Damian Lewis throws himself wholeheartedly into the role of the dim Lord Davenport.

Final Thoughts

(L to R): Tom Felton and Thomasin McKenzie in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.' Photo: Bleecker Street.

‘Fackham Hall’ feels more of a piece with the lame '[insert-genre-here] Movie' and other low-energy spoofs that showed up in the wake of ‘Scary Movie’s success post-‘Scream.’ There are laughs, but they’re few and far between.

‘Fackham Hall’ receives 60 out of 100.

(L to R): Tom Felton, Ramon Tikaram, Thomasin McKenzie, Damian Lewis, and Nathan McMullen in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.' Photo: Bleecker Street.

What’s the story of ‘Fackham Hall’?

New porter Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) forms a romantic bond with Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), youngest daughter of a well-known UK family. As the Davenport family, headed by Lord and Lady Davenport, deals with the epic disaster of the wedding of their eldest daughter to her caddish cousin, new schemes reveal themselves.

Who is in the cast of ‘Fackham Hall’?

Ben Radcliffe as Eric Noone
Thomasin McKenzie as Rose Davenport
Damian Lewis as Lord Davenport
Katherine Waterston as Lady Davenport
Lizzie Hopley as Phyllis Davenport
Emma Laird as Poppy Davenport
Tom Felton as Archibald
Jimmy Carr as Vicar
Tom Goodman-Hill as Inspector Watt

(L to R): Sue Johnston, Katherine Waterston, Tim McMullan, Thomasin McKenzie, Nathan McMullen, Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis, and Emma Laird in Bleecker Street's 'Fackham Hall.' Photo: Bleecker Street.