AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

pyrocitor Speak of The Shop Around the Corner in contemporary times, and you're more than likely to be greeted by blank looks until you revise its moniker to 'You've Got (Snail) Mail' ("Ohhhh! THAT one!"). But, while director Ernst Lubitsch's classical rom-com may have to contend with its '90s remake for pop culture recognition, it's easily charming and delightful enough to warrant, at the very least, comparable adulation. Distinctly more demure and gentle than the masses of sparkier screwball comedies in vogue at its time, Lubitsch's film strips itself of any such pretences, striving instead for a softer, infinitely more vulnerable play for unfettered emotion, seasoned with knowing wit. His sentiment pays off, as the film remains an abiding holiday classic, almost too lovable to resist. Adapted from Hungarian playwright Miklós László's work Parfumerie, Lubitsch's retaining the Budapest setting with transplanted American actors may take some acclimatizing to (perhaps Lubitsch was content to have a more heartwarming link to Europe than all of the wartime atrocities cluttering the newsreels - notice the conspicuous absence of any politics or world events), but it only adds to the film's nostalgic, somewhat anachronistic charm. With a dreamy, unassuming pace, Lubitsch allows his characters to breathe, carefully delineating the lives, fears, hopes and dreams of each staff member of the titular department store's staff with tender compassion before allowing the centrepiece love story to build amidst them with slow, teasing playfulness. Certainly, the film has its blips of alarming darkness that suggest Lubitsch was too attuned to the sociopolitical climate to create an entirely vacuous fairy tale, but they are painted with the same observant humanity and care as the rest of the film's naturalistic character beats. And if the corresponding friction inherent in the film's Much Ado About Nothing twist may come with occasional whiffs of contrivance or excessive convenience, the mischievous, disarming sweetness with which they weave tantalizingly closer to one another more than makes up for it. The film's 'first date' scene alone is so unforgettably clever and savagely funny that even You've Got Mail couldn't resist borrowing it almost shot-for-shot, and winning the raucous laughs of a whole new generation of viewers. Still, it's the indelible chemistry of James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, one of the most reliable pairings of the classical era, that elevate the film to the level of classic. The two play off each other with consummate ease, segueing from caustic, prank- filled, screwball-lite barbs and fireworks to embers of affection seamlessly, and Sullavan's fast-talking, peppery vigour proves the perfectly adorable foil for Stewart's twinkling, huffy bluster. Supporting them, Felix Bressart practically embodies the film's gentle, winking spirit as their kindly coworker, Joseph Schildkraut is so oily he practically glistens as the store's resident fink, William Tracy is so loudly comedic he practically seems to have cockily strolled in from another film entirely (but remains irresistibly funny nonetheless), while Frank Morgan hits the perfect cocktail of imposingly obtuse with a secret heart of gold as the shop's perennially harried owner. It's hugely refreshing, even for the early 1940s, to find a film so straightforwardly pleasant and enjoyable, but Lubitsch's deft hand has the film bursting with simple but robust charm. Resonantly heartwarming comedy and romance, an undercurrent of melancholy stripped of any histrionics and with only the gentlest indulgence of saccharine Hollywood convention, The Shop Around the Corner's abiding sweetness continues to make it a welcome discovery or revisitation, whether as a holiday watch, or a means of unwinding with a smile year-round. And if its success had anything to do to stem the flow of tacky, ornamental music boxes? All the better. -8/10

richard-1787 The plot of this movie is charming, yes, though of course you know from the very beginning how it will end and just wait to see how the two main characters get there.But to me the real magic of this movie is in the small, perfect moments of acting, primarily by Stewart and Morgan.Stewart can convey with just the slightest change of his face, or a hushed, half-breathed voice more deep feeling than others try to express with endless yelling and flailing of arms. There are moments in the movie, such as when Clara insults him during their meeting in the café, or when he visits Matachek in the hospital - the most moving scene in the movie for me - when I just marvel at the understated quality of his acting.The same is true of Morgan. We think of him as the Wizard of Oz, and he was great in that movie. But he was not all big gestures and exaggeration. When he faces the infidelity of his wife, and then has to apologize to Stewart for suspecting him of having an affair with his wife, or at the end when he is desperate to find someone to spend Christmas Eve with, now that he finds himself without a family to go home to, the understated perfection of his acting is really very impressive. If you have ever seen him in *Port of Seven Seas*, based on Marcel Pagnol's *Marcel* and *Fanny* plays, this won't come as any surprise to you.In 1940, when this movie was made and released, Hungary was still an independent nation, though moving closer to Germany and Italy and passing several anti-Semitic laws. (Felix Bressart, who plays Pirovitch here, would play the Jewish actor Greenberg two years later in *To Be or Not to Be* and, in his riff on Shylock's speech, enter into cinematic history.) The next year Hungary would enter World War II on the German side against Russia. But in this movie, Budapest is still a charming Eastern European city where people care about each other and everything looks warm and wonderful under the falling snowflakes.If you ever feel a need to watch great actors make miracles out of small moments, watch this. You will be amazed.

gsygsy The good things: faultless ensemble playing; superb photography, costumes and set dressing; excellent script; perfect pacing, both within scenes and overall. Not-so-good things? Can't think of any.Although the film, in deference to the play on which it is based, is set in Budapest, its themes are eternally human. As is so often the case, emphasis on a particular locality has the paradoxical effect of heightening general truths. It's this that has enabled this wonderful piece to be turned into two musicals and be updated to the digital age with equal success.It does concern me that the sheer joy of this movie might become less appreciated as the years go by. It takes effort to look into films headlined by stars such as Sullavan and directors such as Lubitsch, whose names are not, let's face it, as prominent as they were in their own day. An even worse fate could befall, and perhaps already has befallen, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, described on my DVD cover as 'the original of YOU'VE GOT MAIL.' In this case, whatever might be said positively about the update, the original is better, by a long, long way. Lubitsch's film is a classic.

iamyuno2 I find myself having to see this film every Christmas season. I am never disappointed - even though I know the drift. But that's the sign of a great film - you always delight in something new each time you see it. And these are characters you grow to love so much you want to be in their company, so to speak, every year - they're like old friends you missed and have to see again. This movie has humor and pathos, a wide range of emotions, and though it's ostensibly a comedy, it's also a romantic film and one that speaks of the human condition. In other words, it works on many levels. And all of the many brilliant actors in this film shine brightly. It's one of Jimmy Stewart's, Frank Morgan's, Felix Bressart's and Joseph Schildkraut's best - and perhaps Margaret Sullavan's very best (her comic timing is brilliant). And the other character players are lovable and brilliant, too - especially William Tracy as "Pepi." Sad that so many of them came to tragic ends or died fairly young in real life. What a great cast and sweet, touching story! And this is also one of those great old films where wit was in abundance.