‘Fackham Hall’ Review – Thomasin McKenzie Can’t Save Comedy From Falling Flat On Its Face

With the critical and commercial success of The Naked Gun reboot earlier this year, it’s clear that theatrical comedies aren’t quite dead yet. That film is obviously following in a long tradition of its own franchise and other Zucker brothers classics like Airplane! (1980), so your mileage may vary on ninety minutes of such specific comedy.

Jim O’Hanlon’s Fackham Hall, a parody period piece following a family of aristocrats desperate to save their home, follows in a less committed but similar comedic style to that of the Zucker Brothers. The film begins as the Davenport family, made up of Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), Poppy (Emma Laird), Prudence (Katherine Waterston), and Humphrey (Damian Lewis), is gearing up for Poppy’s wedding with first cousin Archibald (Tom Felton), a union that will keep the core family living in Fackham Hall for the rest of their lives. 

As the film progresses, various factors arise that put the family’s perpetual residence at Fackham Hall in jeopardy, but the plot definitely takes a backseat to the varying levels of comedic success throughout the movie. Fackham Hall tries to be a joke-a-second comedy, hoping to keep the audience laughing the whole time. Sadly, the hit rate for these jokes is much lower than you’d want, and they move on to the next joke too quickly after one finally lands. It’s never a good sign when the biggest laughs from your theater come from cheap fart gags instead of witty dialogue or visual jokes. 

The highlight of the film is by far the chemistry between Rose and Eric (Ben Radcliffe), an orphan who sneaks his way into working for the Davenport family. Every time they’re on screen together, the movie finds a fun rhythm that the rest of the runtime is lacking. Both of these characters are the only ones that seem to have any built-in depth to them, rather than being one-note joke machines with little nuance or characterization. Radcliffe was particularly impressive, given his short career and this being his first co-leading big screen role. 

Fackham Hall has the best utilization of Tom Felton since the Harry Potter franchise, making use of his smarminess and uppity aura that he naturally gives off. Your blood starts to boil every time he dons a wry smirk as he looks down on those around him, and you feel elated each time he gets his comeuppance. Archibald is the one character who really works outside the primary romance of Rose and Eric, and goes to show what a good casting choice can do for your film. 

Outside of the highlights I’ve already discussed, there is little to recommend in Fackham Hall. There are a few good running bits, particularly with Jason Done as a fictionalized J.R.R. Tolkien, but most of the jokes fall flat. I will admit, it was surprising to see McKenzie in this film, since she’s been smart with her career choices, working with interesting directors even if they don’t always pan out critically. This is a baffling decision for her, but it’s definitely a testament to her screen presence and acting abilities that she is able to make some of this film work mostly on her own. 

Fackham Hall tries and fails at the kind of comedy I tend to gravitate towards. I loved The Naked Gun reboot from earlier this year, and its brand of humor isn’t so dissimilar to that of Fackham Hall. It just does it exponentially better. It’s still worth seeing for some of its core performances and keeping up with different actors’ careers, but it won’t have you falling out of your seat in laughter.

Fackham Hall is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Bleecker Street. The film wil debut on digital platforms on December 26, 2025.