The Tunnel of Love

directed by Gene Kelly
Category: "Comedy"
Year of Release:1958
Date Added:07/22/2008
Date Watched:10/24/2005
Description:Isolde and Augie Poole have been married five years and are going through all the struggles with infertility. The Peppers next door have a constant stream of kids in spite of the fact that Dick has numerous affairs. The Pooles contact an adoption agency. When Estelle the social worker shows up, Augie doesn’t realize who she is and makes a fool of himself. Dick Pepper wanders over and makes a pass at her. Estelle leaves in a huff. When Isolde finds out, she storms over to the Peppers. Estelle shows up again and makes a pass at Augie. He takes her out to dinner, but is so nervous and feels so guilty that he overdoses on tranquilizers and falls asleep. Estelle dumps him in a hotel, and he wakes up alone the next morning thinking that he slept with Estelle.

Three months later Estelle contacts Augie and says she has a baby. He assumes it’s his, so when she asks him for $1,000, he give it to her. Six months later, a baby shows up. When Isolde sees how much the baby resembles Augie, she figures he’s had an affair and determines to leave. As she’s waiting for the taxi to arrive, Estelle comes by to pay back the $1,000. She mentions that she’s married and just had a baby girl. Then Isolde finds out she’s pregnant and everybody’s happy.
My Rating:6

Reviews for The Tunnel of Love

Review - Tunnel of Love, The

A very stupid movie for several reasons. Did Estelle come back and ask Augie out (after being offended by Dick’s pass at her), just so she could borrow $1,000? Would she have slept with him for it if he hadn’t passed out? Why did he assume the baby was his? If Estelle runs off with men that easily, couldn’t her baby have been someone else’s? Did her husband know she was hitting other men up for money? What about the ethics of an adoption social worker borrowing money from couples she’s investigating? Why did Isolde assume the baby was Augie’s just because it resembled him? And what baby ever really resembles anyone except every other baby ever born? And when Estelle revealed that the Poole’s baby wasn’t hers, why was Isolde suddenly OK with everything. Augie still went out with Estelle and, for all the two of them know, slept with her, baby or no. I guess we’re just supposed to think that Doris Day is so cute that we don’t care that the movie was stupid. I gave it a 6 just because I could relate to the infertility and adoption tangles.

Reviewed by Roger on 2008-08-05 14:28:49

Back to the list