Review: Hollywood comes to Downton Abbey! Also: the clothes.

One wedding and a funeral — and a birth. That gorgeous house, never mind the leaky roof. Some sunshine, too! More bone-dry quips from Maggie Smith. And oh, the clothes — silks and satins, tulles and tiaras. What could go wrong?

Why, nothing, of course! Would YOU mess with the “Downton Abbey” formula?

This second Downton feature film is technically called “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” but could just as well be called “Downton Abbey: Really More of the Same But Slightly Later” — and that would be totally fine with the adoring fans of this endlessly durable six-season TV series. They flocked to the first film in 2019, and they'll flock to this film, too, which is lighter, funnier and nothing if not clear in its purpose — giving a loyal audience a good time. After a few years of pandemic life, that would include more real estate porn, more stolen glances and hidden yearnings amid the period furnishings, more exquisite vintage clothes (no, we shan’t stop talking about the clothes), and some happy endings. And more Maggie! Of course.

To add a splashy bow on top, there’s a visit to Downton from splashy Hollywood, and a family field trip to the French Riviera. Dishy actors Hugh Dancy and Dominic West bring a little romance, and French film vet Nathalie Baye brings the kind of icy hauteur only the French can hope to muster (and master).

As for the swath of moviegoers unfamiliar with the show — oh, them! — that’s another story. For those who don’t know their Sybils from their Ediths, or can’t sketch a Crawley family tree on the fly, the film makes no real effort to explain the background, and with a ready-made audience, the creators likely felt no need. ( There ARE helpful refresher video s on YouTube if you really want to do some homework.)

Reliably (if not subtly) written by...