Not one of my favorite Greenaway movies but worth a watch. The plot is a simple tale on the surface level. The story is decent enough in structure and pace but the main plots were not stimulating or inventive enough after a while. There isn't much character relationship or development after a while either but it's still fun to watch. The characters are quirky, unapologetic and fun. There is a numbers game throughout the movie that leads to the inevitable deeper meaning at the end. A meaning that I didn't really need to hear. I imagine in 1988 it had a lot more impact as Greenaway's bleak view of human decay was probably less common.
Pretty predictable what happens to the skipping girl from the first time you see her with the boy. That's kind of the plot problem I have. Anyone that even writes as a hobby will watch this and see that the plots are pretty basic dot connections and ideas. The Greenaway sheen over makes a massive difference though. Stylsih and a joy to look at.
Pretentious? Despite the hate he gets I never find Greenaway that pretentious because there is always a connection back to a story, side idea/ sub plot or character. It's not weird for the sake of it nor does it take advantage of being an art film to have empty meanings as filler.
Greenaway's choice of sub plots and ongoing ideas are a little bit daring or risqué for the sake of it sometimes and seem disconnected from the main movie at times.
It was hit and miss for me but watchable. The movie looks great. A Zed And Two Noughts was a better movie in a simular style in my opinion.

I actually found this to be one of Peter Greenaway's more accessible films. Though it's still riddled with some surreal imagery that made little, if any, sense to me, it is quite an effective and funny look at the institution of marriage. Now the Colpitts family can't really be accused of having much imagination when it comes to naming their offspring. "Cissie" (Joan Plowright) has "Cissie" (Juliet Stephenson) who has "Cissie (Joely Richardson) and none of these women make matches that they want to endure. There's plenty of philandering going on, so - well use the title as a clue as to just what happens now... This is a strongly characterised drama with three women very much at the top of their game, ably supported by Bernard Hill's rather eccentric "Madgett", that interweaves an intricate serious of - ok, not always the most plausible - sub-plots into a story that's ultimately a revenge comedy. It's a bit on the long side, and it does sag slightly when - I felt, anyway - there is less Plowright on the screen but the dialogue is quickly and pithily delivered, there is loads of rather natural nudity to lend authenticity to the earthiness of the topic and we are left with a powerful assassination of the marriage state and a clear illustration that there are more ways than one to skin a cat (and get away with it!). Michael Nyman has scored this jauntily and together with Sacha Vierny's eclectic style of cinematography, makes this film fun to watch with some deadly undercurrents.